Settling For Less
by Mionefan
Summary: Harry Potter has settled for a mediocre existence after the final battle. He regrets the loss of his best friend and love. What will a pretty Ravenclaw do to help him love again?
1. Chapter 1

**Settling For Less**

A Harry Potter - Luna Lovegood story

Angst/Romance

Disclaimer JKR's, not mine etc.

**Chapter 1: Settling For Less**

He lay awake, wondering where it all went wrong. He had settled for less and it was tearing him apart. His best friend was dead in the war against Voldemort. Ron had been killed defending him in the final battle. Neville had wound up in St. Mungos like his parents, tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange. Hermione had disappeared to Merlin knows where with her parents.

He had settled for Ginny, when he had really wanted Hermione. Even if he had known where she had gone, he couldn't afford to follow her. The war had drained all his resources, leaving him next to penniless.

True, he had finally defeated Riddle in an epic battle on the grounds of Hogwarts, but at the cost of so many lives and the destruction of the one place he could call home. Hogwarts had been levelled. His favourite teachers had been killed - Dumbledore in a futile attempt to draw Voldemort away from Harry; McGonagall in an intense fight with Bellatrix in which both were killed.

Some of the others he had lost were hanging heavily in his heart. Arthur and Molly Weasley in a fire fight with Lucius Malfoy. Harry had finally engaged Lucius in a vicious no holds barred fight in which Harry had emerged victorious after beheading him with the Sword of Gryffindor.

After that, he had faced Wormtail and crushed the rat with his foot when Peter changed into his animagus form and attempted to escape. Voldemort, he left to last. Voldemort, in a rage at seeing his Death Eaters decimated by the Order of the Phoenix, made a fatal mistake and turned his back for a moment on Harry. Seizing the advantage, Harry swung the Sword of Gryffindor and sliced Tom in half. A gasp escaped Riddle as he fell and Harry swung again in pure rage, splitting Voldemort from skull to sternum in half again. The release of magic at his death had killed the remaining Death Eaters and nearly killed Harry. Many had fallen that day. Harry had spent nearly a month in hospital in a coma and had awakened to find the total cost in lives and money the war had cost him. His best friends, lost. His vault nearly empty. The girl he loved, but never told her, gone.

…………………….

Harry had initially been happy with Ginny, but as the years wore on, he started to notice the little things that were wrong. Ginny didn't want children and the one time she was pregnant, decided to abort. That eventually tore Harry apart. He would sit for days with his head in his hands, slumped over his chair at work. A work that paid him just enough to live on, but nothing left over for much else. He had changed jobs several times. Auror, Quidditch, he even worked for awhile with George in Weasley's Wizarding Wheazes, but his heart was just not in it. He finally settled for a non descript job with the Ministry of Magic as a cipher clerk. The job was demanding, but boring. There were still dark wizards out there, but Harry had lost interest in everything. The Ministry had refused to believe that he alone had killed Voldemort, taking the credit for themselves, and Harry couldn't care enough to set the record straight.

This was one of the many arguments he had with Ginny. They had never married, but live together in a cheap flat outside of London. The daily commute and the heavy work load combined to rob him of any enthusiasm for life. So he had settled for less. A grinding existence with Ginny. Oh, some days weren't so bad, but they had stopped being intimate years ago. He was now twenty-six and had not had sex for three years. She was not interested and he was less than enthusiastic the last time they had managed it. Now, she wouldn't even hug or kiss him, and he had stopped trying. The both knew they were at a dead end with their relationship, but were too settled to separate and try again. Harry couldn't afford to live alone, as Ginny helped with the finances by working as a trainee healer at St. Mungos. Neither had much money, so they agreed to pool what little they had.

The strain had finally been too much for him and he contemplated suicide several times, but never found the inner strength to do it. So he wept. Silent tears and regrets were his secret companions when he was alone. Ginny occasionally noticed the sad looks, but never bothered to dig deep enough to discover what really troubled him. She would be furious to discover the real reason for his sad looks. He still pined for true love, and that would have been with Hermione, he was sure.

It all went pear shaped when he eventually learned that Hermione had married in Australia but had died in childbirth. It broke his heart and he sunk deeper into depression. Nothing, it seemed, could pull him out. He went for days, barely speaking to anyone and some even noticed unshed tears in his eyes, but knew enough not to ask, for Harry was known for his quick temper.

…………………….

Spring came late that year. The winter had been unusually long and cold. When the first signs of spring finally came, even the birds seemed subdued, as if the world was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Magical Britain had slowly recovered from the vicious war and was now almost back to normal. Hogwarts was still under reconstruction, but nobody expected it to be ready for students for at least another year. Children of age were mostly home schooled and privately tutored for those that could afford it.

Luna Lovegood fell into the first category. Her father taught her the necessary subjects in order for her to take her NEWTS exams, which she passed handily. She had no friends now, although she saw Ginny Weasley from time to time. Harry was never there when she met with Ginny and she wondered what had happened to him. Ginny never told Luna that she and Harry were living together, probably suspecting that Luna would interfere and try to take Harry away from her. She couldn't afford that, as she depended on Harry's meagre salary to maintain what little life afforded her. She didn't really love Harry, but she couldn't afford to live on her own either, so she too, settled for less.

Luna, however, never gave up searching for Harry. Little did she know that he wasn't all that hard to find. She had inquired with all the Quidditch teams, but they had informed her that he had left them years ago. The next logical place she checked was the Ministry of Magic, but they would tell her nothing. Harry worked in a secret department and the Ministry refused to divulge that information to anyone. Even Ginny didn't know.

That was about to change, however.

…………………….


	2. Chapter 2

**Settling For Less**

A Harry Potter - Luna Lovegood story

Angst/Romance

Disclaimer JKR's, not mine etc.

**Chapter 2: If Only**

After the long cold winter, the first warming rays of sun of spring brought a welcome relief to London. Harry continued in his deep depression, however and even Ginny noticed that something was very wrong. Questioning him only produced his automatic response of 'I'm fine', which nobody believed. He had lost weight, even though he was always on the thin side.

Spring turned to summer and an oppressive heat wave settled on Britain. Ginny and Harry managed to escape the heat one day by taking a cheap fare day down to Brighton on the train. Relaxing on the beach, Harry turned to see a familiar face reclining on a blanket about ten metres away. Startled, he spoke to Ginny.

"Isn't that Luna, over there?"

"Where, Harry?"

"Just over there. Hey Luna!" he called.

"Harry!" Ginny admonished. "It's rude to shout."

Luna, however, heard and jumping up, she looked around. "H-Harry? Is it really you?"

At that moment, as their eyes locked, Ginny knew she had lost. _'Oh no!'_ she thought. _'I've tried to keep Harry away from her all these years. Merlin knows, she's asked about him enough. First it was Hermione, then Daphne, and now Luna! He's mine, I need him! I can't afford to live without him.'_

The pretty long haired blonde rushed over with a big grin on her face. Luna had developed nice curves over the years and was now wearing a very sexy black bikini that only emphasized her charms. Her hair, often described as dirty blonde, was actually a soft dusky blonde with nice highlights.

"Ginny, I thought you told me you didn't know where Harry was!" she pouted.

Ginny turned pink and stammered "O-Oh… um… n-no, I-I think I may h-have said that I didn't know where Harry was at that moment."

Harry looked at Ginny strangely. Was she evading the question or lying? "Why didn't you owl me Luna?"

Ginny's red face became even darker when Harry said this. Neither Harry nor Luna noticed this.

"But I did, Harry. Many times. My owl always came back with my notes."

"That's odd. Ginny, didn't Luna's owl ever come by?"

"No Harry," Ginny lied smoothly. _'Of course it did, along with Hermione's and Daphne's,'_ she thought to herself. _'Like I'd tell him! Hermione was the most persistent and hardest to get rid of.'_

"Curious, Orion never gets lost," Luna said with a thoughtful look. "Well, anyway, it's good to see you Harry, what have you been doing since you defeated Voldemort?"

Harry blanched at this and his gloomy mood settled one more over him.

"Oh, erm, not much. You know that the Ministry never believed…" he trailed off. "Never mind, it's good to see you again Luna."

"The Ministry never believed what, Harry?" Luna replied, puzzled.

"The Ministry never believed Harry defeated Voldemort!" Ginny stated aggressively. "And he never fought to correct that belief. Kingsley Shakelboldt took the credit! As if!"

"Ginny, never mind, it's over and done with," Harry interrupted listlessly.

"See what I mean?" Ginny raged. "He could have been ri…"

"GINNY! I said never mind! It's over, leave it be."

Harry was getting angry now. He didn't want Ginny spreading his woes all over, for anyone to hear. In truth, he suspected someone had drained his vault that he inherited from Sirius, but couldn't prove anything. He had also thought that his parents had left him more than the small amount of Galleons in his vault, but was told that that was all he had. By the end of seventh year and after hunting down all of Voldemorts Horcruxes, that vault was empty.

Luna tried to calm him. "Harry, calm down, I believe you, I watched as you killed him. I can't believe that the Ministry would take the credit. But, as you said, it's over and done with. At least you have the money your parents left you."

"No, he doesn't," Ginny interjected.

"Ginny, I told you to leave it alone."

"No, Harry," Ginny argued angrily. "You should have fought for your rightful share instead of letting Dumbledore…"

"ENOUGH!" Harry roared.

Ginny snapped her mouth closed, clearly afraid of Harry's temper.

"Sorry, Luna, you didn't need to hear that," Harry apologised. "We get enough to live on, so I guess we can't complain."

"Oh, you two are married? When did that happen, Ginny never mentioned it," Luna queried.

"Oh, no. We just live together to pool our resources," Harry managed to choke out. He wished he hadn't come to the beach today. This was so embarrassing, and Ginny, with her constant complaining wasn't helping either.

"Oh, sorry," Luna apologised. "I didn't know." She looked down, trying to hide her embarrassment. It looked like Harry and Ginny didn't really get along that well. Harry looked to be in poor health as well; skinnier than she remembered and with stooped shoulders that spoke of defeat.

Ginny turned pink in shame, as her anger died. She knew she had put her foot in it now. Harry would be even harder to live with after today. Maybe she should look for someone else… _'No,'_ she thought, _'I can't go through this any more. Still, I can't let Luna have him.'_

"It's Okay Luna, you didn't know. We haven't seen you for years. _'Although, evidently Ginny has,'_ he thought angrily. "What about you, Luna, are you married?"

"No, I've never found anyone," she replied, sadly. _'Except you, Harry.'_ she thought. _'I'd have married you.'_

Ginny caught the flicker of a small smile that passed Luna as she said that. _'That bitch! I knew it! She's out to get Harry!'_ she thought.

Harry, however, was oblivious, and sank back into his depression. _'Damn, why didn't I let Hermione know I loved her?'_

Luna, quickly picking up on Harry's sombre mood, decided it was now or never, if she was ever to have a chance with Harry. She had loved him for years, but he had always been hanging out with Hermione and Ron. She naturally assumed that he would marry Hermione. Ginny told her that Hermione had died, but now Luna suspected that she might not be telling the truth.

"Harry, why don't you and Ginny come over for a visit soon? I don't live very far from your place."

"Oh, I don't think so, Luna," Ginny replied, trying to steer Luna away from Harry. "Harry works really long hours and our schedules rarely coincide."

"Oh," Luna replied, disappointed. "Well, you know where I live, and you're always welcome."

Harry was about to accept Luna's invitation when Ginny interceded. _'Maybe I'll just drop by alone,'_ he thought. _'Ginny seems to want to keep us apart, I wonder why.'_

"We'll think about it Luna," Harry replied.

Ginny glared at him, but he missed the look.

It was getting late and they said their goodbyes. Harry and Ginny went to change their clothes and rushed to catch the return train. Luna had a return ticket on the bus and left as well.

………………….

Settling back in her seat on the bus, Luna thought of Harry and the short conversation they'd had. It seemed that Harry had given her a small smile as they shook hands to leave. And was that a tear in his eye she had noticed? She still didn't know where he worked, but it must have been a really low paying job. She would have to research that. Harry should have been wealthy… he couldn't be as poor as he seemed. What had the wizarding world done to him? He should be acclaimed as a hero.

She hadn't been in contact with the wizarding society much over the last ten years. Her father had taken her on his excursions looking to elusive animals that nobody else believed in. Xenophilius Lovegood was even more eccentric than his daughter. Publisher of the Quibbler, he had made a decent living, exposing the shortcomings of the Ministry of Magic. Luna had helped for most of her years after school and now ran the paper with more respectable stories. Her father retired and gave her a free hand, only occasionally made suggestions for odd stories.

Luna, herself, had matured and moved past all the odd things she was noted for in school. In reality, it was a form of self-protection from other students, who tended to leave her alone or tease her. Only Harry paid proper attention to her at Hogwarts, and she appreciated it. In truth, se had a crush on him for years, but kept it well hidden. As the bus rumbled on, and she reminisced, she couldn't help but think: What if? If Only she had had the chance to really get Harry to notice her. However, Hermione always seemed to fill the time with Harry. If only she had joined their little group before the DA. If only she had, well, tried to seduce Harry. She blushed at the thought. How had Ginny done it? It really wasn't fair. She could see that Ginny didn't love Harry and Harry certainly couldn't love her. She's have to make a concerted effort to… what? Seduce him? No, restore his sense of self worth at least. Bring him out of his shell, show him friendship such as she showed in school, and then maybe…

………………….

Meanwhile, Harry and Ginny were on the train, arguing again.

"Ginny, what was that all about with Luna? You know she used to be a good friend in school."

"Oh, Harry. Luna is just so… pushy," she replied.

"Pushy? You were almost rude to her. I thought she was very nice. And what was this about the owls? I've never heard of an owl missing a delivery." Harry had a suspicion that Ginny had turned the owls away, but why she would do that was beyond him.

Ginny reddened and practically shouted at him. "She…she's just… Oooh! I just don't like her, Harry."

The argument went on and on for hours. Finally, arriving back home, they ate a meal in silence and went to bed.

Harry lay awake that night, thinking about Luna and wondering why he didn't see her anymore. _'She used to be fun. Funny, actually,_' now that he thought about it_._ _Almost as nice as Hermione. Damn, he had to stop thinking of Hermione,'_ he told himself. _'She's dead.'_

………………….


	3. Chapter 3

**Settling For Less**

A Harry Potter - Luna Lovegood story

Angst/Romance

Disclaimer JKR's, not mine etc.

**Chapter 3: A Secret Visit**

Luna pondered what to do about Harry. He was obviously unhappy with Ginny and she sensed Ginny wanted to keep her away from Harry. _'What was going on?'_ she wondered. _'How could I help him? And why did he seem so poor?'_ She knew that the Potters would have had money and Gringotts would have notified him when he came of age; never mind Sirius Black had surely left him something… he was Harry's Godfather, after all. So why did Harry dress so poorly and Ginny didn't seem any better off. Something was wrong here.

A week went by, then two more and Luna still couldn't figure out what had happened to Harry. All her enquiries at the Ministry and Gringotts were politely brushed aside. It seemed that everyone was hiding something. She still hadn't found where Harry worked; it was as if the world had swallowed him once again.

A month passed, and Luna was getting frustrated. "Oooh!" she shouted angrily. "Where's Harry?"

As if in answer, a slight pop signalled that someone had apparated outside her house one Saturday morning. Puzzled as to who it could be, she hurried outside, only to stop in shock when she saw Harry standing there.

………………….

Harry had been debating with himself for the past week about visiting Luna. He had no other friends and that day at the beach, Luna seemed interested in him. Certainly Ginny no longer filled his life. She was as cold and distant as usual, and all talk about visiting Luna had been rebuffed. Ginny seemed to be hiding something as well, and he began to suspect she might be seeing someone else. Well, that was fine with him. He never caught her with anyone, but there seemed to be something off about her lately. Her shifts at St. Mungo's were a little longer than usual, although he too worked longer hours.

Finally, one Saturday morning, he told Ginny he was going in to work for a few hours. Ginny said she too would be out all day, since St. Mungo's was short staffed. Once at work, he couldn't settle down. Fidgeting, he finally gave it up as a lost cause, closed his cipher books and started to apparate home. _'On second thought, why not visit Luna, since Ginny won't be home,'_ he thought.

As he turned on the spot, he apparated to the front yard of Luna's place in Ottery St. Catchpole. This was near The Burrow, but Harry didn't want to go there. It had been destroyed in the war and was now an empty field. The surviving Weasley's couldn't bear to go there anymore after Molly and Arthur were killed, so they sold the property to the farmer that owned the next acreage, after removing what was left of the wards and magical presence.

………………….

Luna couldn't believe her eyes when she saw Harry. And no Ginny either! This was a stroke of luck. Maybe now she could begin to help him and find out what happened. She would have to be careful though; she didn't want him disappearing again. Merlin knows when she might see him again.

"Harry! Oh it's so good to see you," as she ran up to him and hugged him.

Harry was shocked when Luna hugged him. He hadn't expected such a warm greeting. He stiffened for a moment and then gradually relaxed. "Luna, it's good to see you as well. I wasn't quite expecting this kind of welcome," he blushed.

Luna blushed lightly, but didn't seem to want to let go either. Finally letting go, she invited him inside.

Harry wasn't sure why it felt good to see Luna, but it did. She had matured since Hogwarts and dare he mention to himself, she looked very nice. He hadn't really noticed when he met her weeks ago at the beach, but she was really quite pretty.

Luna brought out some tea and biscuits and bade him sit down. Smiling, she asked, "How are you Harry? I seem to have lost track of you after the war. Of course you must have been busy…" she trailed off, awkwardly.

I work for the Ministry now as a lowly cipher clerk in the Department of Mysteries. Err, maybe I shouldn't have said that. It's supposed to be a secret… you won't tell anyone, will you?" he added nervously. "Even Ginny doesn't know where I work. I could get in a lot of trouble if word got around."

"Don't worry, Harry, I keep secrets very well. Have some tea and biscuits. We have a lot to catch up with." She smiled and Harry started to relax again.

"Don't tell Ginny I dropped by, please. She doesn't seem to want to see you. She won't say why. Did you two have a fight?"

Luna sighed. She was afraid of that. Ginny must have felt threatened by her. _'With good reason,'_ she thought. "No Harry, I don't know why, she used to like me visiting her. Harry, what's wrong? I sense something terrible that you're keeping to yourself."

"N-nothing's wrong Luna," he stuttered. "I'm fine."

"Okay, now I know something's wrong. That's the standard Harry Potter response when you don't want to talk about it. That's fine; I won't pester you. If you ever feel like telling me, I'll listen."

"Look Luna, I don't know why I dropped by, I should go."

"Harry!" she replied, alarmed. "Don't go. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

Harry could see a tear form in her eye. "It's alright Luna, you don't have to apologise, I'm such a loser anyway." He started to get up but Luna faced him and gently pulled him back down.

"Stay, Harry, you're not a loser," she said softly. "I won't bite." _'Well maybe I would, but in a naughty way.'_ she thought.

Harry relaxed once again, wondering what it was about this witch that could so easily persuade him. "Well maybe for awhile then."

An hour later they were still chatting, and Harry had completely relaxed, even managing a chuckle at a joke Luna made. "You're funny, Luna. I haven't felt this comfortable in a long time."

"Would you like some lunch, Harry? I have a plate of sandwiches that I'd made for Dad and me. He owled earlier that he wouldn't be home 'till much later."

"Thanks Luna. I'd love some. Actually, I skipped breakfast this morning." _'To get away from Ginny if truth be known,'_ he thought.

Luna went to retrieve the sandwiches from the cooler, thinking to herself; _'He's so skinny. What happened to him? Doesn't Ginny feed him?'_

………………….

Later, after eating, they continued talking until the day had quite slipped away. Harry had never been so relaxed and he thoroughly enjoyed his impromptu visit with Luna.

"It's been fun Luna, but I really must go. Ginny will be wondering where I am." He shuddered at the scene she would cause if she knew where he was.

"I agree Harry, I'd love to see you again. Maybe you could drop by again soon," she said hopefully.

"I-I don't know Luna. My work keeps me pretty busy. Oh hell! Maybe I'll find a way to see you again. I think I can manage next Saturday. Would that be too soon?"

Luna practically squealed in delight. "That would be wonderful Harry. I'll expect you. Maybe we can go somewhere quiet."

Harry smiled broadly. "I'll see you then." Apparating back home, he couldn't keep the silly grin from his face, until he saw Ginny. She was fuming.

"Where have you been, Harry? It's pretty late. I thought you said you were only going to work for an hour or so. I finished early at St. Mungo's and came home. I thought we would have dinner early for once, now it's late and so I ate without you. Where were you?" she stormed.

"I worked late," he lied smoothly. "I'm tired, I'll just make myself a quick bite and have a shower before bed."

Ginny huffed, but since she didn't know where Harry worked, she hadn't been able to check up on him. She just hoped that Harry hadn't gone to see Luna, he had been talking about visiting her a few weeks ago.

………………….


	4. Chapter 4

**Settling For Less**

A Harry Potter - Luna Lovegood story

Angst/Romance

Disclaimer JKR's, not mine etc.

**Chapter 4: Luna's Investigations, Harry's Realisation**

Luna couldn't understand why she was rebuffed at each attempt to investigate Harry's treatment at the hands of the wizarding world. Obviously, someone didn't want the truth to come out. Luna was certain that Harry had money, but Harry himself would have to dig into the Goblins records at Gringotts to find the truth.

She did have some contacts she could count on inside the Ministry. However, she had to be discrete, otherwise she would only draw attention to herself and Harry. That could get him fired and her in serious trouble. She didn't care about herself, she was a big girl and could well defend herself, but Harry looked to be very vulnerable. Why was he relegated to such a minor job in the Ministry? He had defeated Voldemort, for Merlin's sake! He should be heralded as a hero instead of being seemingly totally ignored.

A well informed source told her the Kingsley Shacklebolt had claimed the killing of Voldemort for himself and after he became Minister of Magic, nobody dared refute him. Potter's claims were dismissed as unlikely, since he was so young and not a pureblood. He was shuffled off to the Auror department and when he made a nuisance of himself there, was bumped to the cipher office of the DoM to keep him quiet.

Luna was outraged! _'That's so… Oooh!'_ Words failed her. She stormed around the house, cursing and crying for days after she found that out. True, Ginny had dropped hints at the beach, but she hadn't really believed her until now.

After she settled down a bit, she started planning her revenge…no, revenge wouldn't clear Harry and right the wrongs done to him. She would expose them for the liars they were! The Quibbler was uniquely situated to launch her plan. An innuendo here, a tough question there, maybe a quiet investigation into the Minister's private affairs, (done quietly, of course). It would be tricky and she would have to convince Harry to co-operate. First she's have to separate him from Ginny though. That would be hard, as she knew Ginny had her claws dug deep into Harry's affairs. Determined to break the hold Ginny had on him, she awaited Harry's next visit.

………………….

Meanwhile, Harry, unaware of Luna's machinations, wondered what to do about Ginny. He had grown ever more restive over Ginny's temper tantrums. They fought continually now, both yelling at each other over even minor things. He needed to see Luna, before he lost control of his temper completely. Luna was the only one that seemed to be able to calm him. That one meeting last week had been amazing. How she managed to soothe him and make him smile made him wonder…what if. _'What if I had… Nah,'_ his mind automatically rejected the thought of being with her. _'She wouldn't want me,'_ he thought forlornly. But he had to see her! He had given his word that he would see her tomorrow. Never mind his word, he wanted to see her. She stirred something in him he feared he had lost: a reason to go on. Her smile bewitched him, enchanted him, drew him out of his melancholy, made him smile inside.

As he paced the floor the next morning, waiting for Ginny to leave for St. Mungo's, his eyes caught a scrap of paper, mostly burned, in the fireplace. Reaching for it instinctively, he started to examine it when he heard Ginny come into the room. He quickly hid it, not really knowing why. It seemed important, somehow, so he shoved it in his pocket, remembering the long ago scene at Hogwarts when Snape caught him with the Marauders Map.

"I'm leaving now," Ginny said emotionlessly, letting him know that she didn't really care if he knew or not. "I don't know how late I'll be, they need me today," she continued in a flat voice.

"Fine, I have to work too," he replied.

As soon as she was gone, Harry apparated to Luna's place, the scrap of paper forgotten.

………………….

"Harry!" Luna squealed happily. "I'm so glad you could come!"

She sounded happy to see him and Harry wondered why. "It's good to see you too, Luna," he smiled at her.

She ran and hugged him fiercely, and after the initial shock, Harry hugged her back. She planted a kiss on his cheek and Harry blushed heavily. "Oof, Luna, can't breathe," Harry gasped.

"Come inside, Harry, we've got loads to talk about."

Bewildered, Harry followed her. _'What was she talking about?'_ he wondered.

Sitting down in the kitchen, Luna asked him if he'd eaten yet.

"Just a quick bite at home."

"Would you like something? I haven't eaten yet, and I hate to eat alone. Father is away again at some meeting or other. He won't be back until Monday."

"Thank you, Luna, I'd love to join you. I can cook, you know. I'd love to cook something for you." _'Now why did I say that?'_ he wondered. _'Maybe she doesn't want me to cook. Stupid thing to say!'_

"I'd love you to cook, Harry! I didn't know you could cook."

"Really? How about some Eggs Benedict? I learned to cook at my Uncle Vernon's place, before I came to Hogwarts. Aunt Petunia made me do all the cooking, and I learned the hard way to cook properly. I actually like cooking now." He was surprised how easily the words came. Talking with Luna was like a breath of fresh air compared to the stifling awkwardness that talking with Ginny had become.

"Eggs Benedict. I don't believe I've ever had that before," she replied. "What do you need?"

"Oh, an English muffin, a bit of ham or back bacon, eggs of course, butter, lemon juice and egg yolks for the Hollandaise sauce, a bit of pepper and some herbs."

"That sounds easy, we have all that."

"Ah, it sounds easy, but the sauce is tricky to make. I'll poach the eggs and prepare the Hollandaise sauce, you can fry the bacon or ham."

Sitting down to eat, after a furious round of cooking in which Harry dominated the kitchen, Luna was amazed at the breakfast. He cooked like a professional, without using magic.

Tasting the eggs and sauce she closed her eyes in ecstasy. "Harry," she moaned. "This is magnificent. I never knew eggs could taste so heavenly."

I'm glad you like them. Aunt Petunia didn't trust me to make this until I was almost ready for Hogwarts."

"You started making this at eleven?" she asked, clearly shocked.

"Umhmm," he murmured between bites. "I got quite good at it, actually. We used to have this once a week, usually for Sunday brunch. They'd practically starve me for most of the week, but would allow me this one treat on Sundays, since I made it so well. Well Vernon never really knew that I had that, but Petunia always made sure I got some, since I cooked it. I remember the first time I made it. I was really nervous… afraid I'd ruin it, but it turned out great. I just had to be careful in the preparation, rather like potions really." He couldn't believe he'd just rambled on like that. She was so easy to talk to.

After they'd finished breakfast, they moved to the lounge. Sitting together, Luna told him what she wanted to do. "Harry, I can't believe how the wizarding world has treated you. I'd like to help straighten things out in your life."

Harry listened warily. Ginny had tried to get him to push for change too. It didn't work and the harder she pushed, the angrier he became.

"Luna, please, don't…"

"Relax Harry, I won't push you to do something that you don't want to do," she smiled. "I know how hard it is to fight the system."

"You don't understand Luna, Ginny pushed me to solve this years ago. I hated her for it eventually. Nothing was solved; the doors were closed, in fact slammed in my face. Why do you think I wound up in the cipher office?" he said angrily.

"Oh, I think I know all about that, Harry. I've made careful discreet inquiries and found out the truth or at least some of the truth."

"Oh!" That had surprised him. _'Why was she doing this?'_ he wondered.

"Harry, I care about you. I've always cared about you." She knew she would have to tread carefully now. She could sense Harry's resistance and anger building. It wouldn't take much for him to bolt from the room and she would lose him once again.

"You hardly know me, Luna. How could you say you care?"

"Harry," she replied softly, just above a whisper. "You were the only one that took the time to make my life bearable in school. Why wouldn't I care for you? When you escorted me to Slughorn's party, I felt wanted for the first time. Oh, I knew you and Hermione were best friends along with Ron, but you taught me so much. In the DA, I was finally able to defend myself."

Harry relaxed again. He remembered those days: days of friendship, days of adventure. He smiled at Luna. "I remember, Luna. We had fun."

He clenched his hands, remembering Hermione. He stuck his hands in his pocket in dejection, only to encounter the scrap of paper. He'd forgotten about it and slowly withdrew it, straightening it out.

"What's that, Harry?"

"Dunno, found it in the fireplace this morning and wondered about it. Ginny must have tried to burn it. There was a lot of ash with it and this was sticking out, partially hidden. I haven't used the fireplace in ages, so…" He gasped as he straightened the scrap. It was part of an envelope and had Hermione's neat writing on it. It was addressed to him! He couldn't make out the return address, but there was a partial stamp on it with a cancellation date. It looked like a week ago.

"This is impossible," he breathed. "She's dead," he whispered. "I saw the notice years ago. What's going on?"

"What do you mean, Harry, I saw Hermione last year."

"WHAT?" Harry shouted. "She's not dead? But I saw… Ginny showed me… THAT BITCH! What's she playing at?" He was really angry now.

A sudden release of magic, shook the house. Pictures fell from the wall as if an earthquake was shaking the house.

"HARRY! Calm down," Luna commanded. She grabbed him and held him close until he quieted.

Harry's temper abated almost immediately, and he started sobbing into her shoulder. "What has she done, Luna? All these years I thought my best friend was dead! Has Ginny been intercepting her letters? What about yours? I thought it strange that your owls were returned. That shouldn't have happened. Why did Ginny not tell you I was living with her?" The words tumbled out, Harry unable to stop them. Tears streaming down his face, he clung to her as if his life depended on it.

"Ginny's a manipulative woman, Harry. I sensed that the other day at the beach, odd that I never realised that before. I think you should stay here Harry, Merlin knows what else she's hidden from you."

Harry considered that a moment, before replying. "Thanks Luna, but I really need to collect a few things first. I can't stay with her any longer, but I won't inconvenience you either. I'll stay the night and look for a place tomorrow." He turned away, embarrassed at his outburst.

"Harry! Look at me. I want you to stay! We have plenty of room and I won't tell anyone where you are. Father would insist, in any case. He's always looked up to you. _'And in any case, I want to keep you close to me, I love you and I won't see this chance slip away,'_ she reminded herself.

"Thanks Luna, you're a good friend," Harry replied. "If you're sure it's not too much trouble?"

"It's no trouble, Harry, I need your company… er… I-I'd love to have you as our guest."

Harry noted the hesitation. Was she flirting with him? "I have to go now. I promise that I'll be back shortly." He grinned at her and apparated away.

Luna smacked her head when he left. "Way to go Lovegood! Don't scare him away; don't let him know that you love him. There's plenty of time for that. First, we have to solve the problems he has, then I can… what… move our relationship to the next level? Yeah, that feels about right. Careful, he's just so fragile now. How did I not see that bitch manipulating him in school?"

………………….

Arriving home, Harry quickly gathered his belongings, shrunk them and packed them in his trunk. Thinking that he should look around for anything else he may have forgotten, he searched the flat. "Hmm, I wonder if Ginny left any clues…" But a thorough search turned up nothing more. He thought he should leave a note for Ginny, but decided against it. She didn't deserve any explanation after what she'd done. After another quick look he apparated back to Luna's place.

………………….


	5. Chapter 5

**Settling For Less**

A Harry Potter - Luna Lovegood story

Angst/Romance

Disclaimer JKR's, not mine etc.

**Chapter 5: Harry's Disappearance**

After Harry left, Ginny popped back home for a minute to pick up a document she had left in a secret place. Harry would be furious if he ever found this. Looking around, she sensed something wrong. She couldn't quite place it until she realised that Harry's things were gone. Frantically searching through the flat, she came to the horrid realisation that Harry had moved out. But where had he gone. He couldn't know about Daphne or Hermione. She had been so careful about that. Just last week she had burned another letter from Hermione. Daphne, fortunately, had stopped writing a year ago, but Hermione was persistent. Maybe somehow he had found out…No, that wasn't possible, she had covered those tracks well. The fake notice in a spare copy of the Daily Prophet that she had showed Harry, all the letters she had intercepted; Harry never suspected. So why did he leave. _'LUNA,'_ she thought. _'I bet that bitch has somehow lured him away.'_

Ginny thought for a bit and decided to apply a bit of pressure. Picking up a quill and parchment, she composed a letter to the Daily Prophet newspaper.

………………….

**The Daily Prophet, Sunday July 8, 2001**

**Boy Who Lived, missing!**

Harry Potter, has turned up missing, the Prophet has learned. Long-time girlfriend Ginny Weasley confirmed that Harry has disappeared. "I just saw him this morning and he was fine," she stated. Aurors have been put on the alert but no sightings have been reported. All his known places have been checked, according to Minister Shacklebolt.

………………….

Ginny grinned. _'That should smoke him out. He couldn't go to work, he couldn't shop and Luna couldn't keep him hidden forever. He'd come back, begging for forgivness. Well, she wouldn't be too quick to forgive.'_

When Luna saw the headlines, she knew what had happened. "Harry, I think you should see this."

When Harry read the headline, he groaned. "Oh great! I think we both know who's behind this since I'm not due at work until tomorrow. Now I don't dare show up at work. That bitch, she planned this, but why?"

"Ginny manipulates people Harry, I think we both know that now," Luna replied sadly. This would make things much harder. He couldn't even go to Gringotts now, but maybe there was another way. "Well, since people are on the lookout for you now, maybe we should just disappear."

"What did you have in mind, Luna? I can't really afford to disappear; I'm practically broke."

"I'll take care of that, Harry, and besides, that's another thing we have to look into. You can't be broke, The Potter's were very wealthy."

"What do you mean, the Potter's were very wealthy? The Goblins told me there was practically no money left in my vault."

"Not your Trust Vault, Harry, your parents Family Vault. Surely they spoke to you about that."

"Umm yes, actually, but they didn't say much, only that there was no money in it. They seemed in a rush, which seemed odd at the time. You think someone robbed the vault? But wouldn't that be impossible? Besides that, they would have told me."

"Not necessarily, Harry, they might want to keep that quiet, although, you're right, those vaults are very secure. I think someone… wait a minute! Who was your magical guardian?"

"Magical guardian? I had a magical guardian?"

"Of course, Harry. When your parents died, you would have automatically been assigned a magical guardian, probably Dumbledore, now that I think of it. We'll have to find out what happened to the money."

"I don't care about the money I keep telling people. I'd rather have my parents and Sirius."

"Be that as it may, Harry, someone may have stolen your inheritance. Dumbledore is the most likely, but he's dead, so what happened to it?"

"Dumbledore? But I trusted him," Harry said weakly. "Why would he do that?"

"Well, I can think of several reasons, and not all of them relate to greed."

"But Dumbledore? He was the leader of the light. Nah, I can't believe he'd rob me!"

"It takes money to run a war, Harry. On top of that, Hogwarts may have been under-funded. Remember, the governors were Purebloods. They may not have funded the Muggleborns and Halfbloods. Not everybody had well to do parents, you know. I'm a Pureblood, but we aren't rich, at least not as rich as most Purebloods. The Weasley's were also dirt poor. Maybe that's why Ginny latched on to you. She figured you were rich. Ron was always jealous of how much money you had."

That gave Harry pause. He could see the logic in her arguments. "Okay, supposing you're correct, what can I do about it? Dumbledore's dead and I'm sure his estate has been settled by now."

"I'll have to research that Harry. This is all tied up with the Ministry, somehow. I can feel it."

"You're a good friend Luna, but how or more properly, where are we going to disappear?"

"Leave that to me," she smirked. "As always, I have a plan."

………………….

Miles away, a bushy haired woman was reading the Daily Prophet, when her jaw dropped. "Ginny knew where Harry was? Why didn't she say something? All these years! My best friend, and I was never able to find him after I retrieved my parents from Australia. Why would she do that? I thought we were friends. Now he's missing. No! This can't be happening. I wonder if Luna has found out anything yet? She was trying to find him as long as I was. Maybe I'll write her. I think I still have her address somewhere."

………………….

Luna and Harry sat down to another of Harry's special meals for supper. He had insisted on cooking and had come up with a very tasty Beef Wellington with small carrots, jacket potatoes and a divine gravy. For dessert, he whipped up a chocolate mouse pudding, garnished with pecans. A red Italian wine of moderate vintage finished the meal.

Luna moaned in ecstasy at each course. "Harry, can I keep you? Your cooking alone is to die for."

Harry snickered, quietly pleased that she liked his cooking. He had sent her out for some of the ingredients and the wine and she came back to watch him cook.

He was amazing to watch: quick with an economy of motion. The precise flowing movement of his hands had her staring in awe.

Afterwards, they curled up on the couch, Luna leaning her head on his shoulders. Harry had accepted the blonde, but wondered where this was going. He hadn't been intimate with a woman for years now and was worried that he might make the wrong move. Luna had somehow wormed her way into his life and he was not displeased. After all, she was a beautiful woman now and had seemingly outgrown the quirky things she used to say and wear.

"Um, Luna, what about your dad? I mean, if we're going to disappear…" he trailed off, unsure what else to say.

"Not to worry, Harry, Father will understand. I'm leaving him a note, but I'm not telling him where we're going."

"Shouldn't you pack? I'm already packed; that is I never unpacked."

"Oh, I already packed yesterday. I suspected Ginny might try something like this. We leave early in the morning."

………………….

Harry was awake most of the night, trying to figure out Luna. She seemed to really like him, but did she really? Ginny had seemed that way once, but now he knew she was not as she seemed. A manipulative liar and what about Hermione? He sat up in bed in shock. He had forgotten about her. How could he! She was still alive. Was she married? He didn't know. The newspaper… no, the note from her… He couldn't remember, but he was sure Ginny, curse her, had shown it to him, stated that she had married and stayed in… where? Australia, he thought. Was that a fake as well? Did she have a child? All these questions whirled around in his head, giving him a headache.

Luna lay awake as well, but her thoughts were much more pleasant. Harry seemed to trust her. She would have to work hard to maintain that trust. He was still very fragile, but when she laid her head on his lap, he didn't protest. She smirked, Harry was going to be just fine. She debated whether to slip into his bed, but quickly discarded the idea. He wouldn't be ready for that yet, but she was impatient to move the relationship along. She would have to see if she could get him to put on some weight. Luna knew he was naturally thin, but he was now beyond thin. A few meals like he made tonight would go a long way to filling him out. She smiled again at the thought of his cooking. Quite remarkable really. She couldn't believe he was that good a cook. _'He's a keeper for sure. Ginny's an idiot!'_

………………….

Breakfast was a hurried affair. The word would be out by now and Harry's chances of a clean escape were diminishing with every minute that passed.

"Hurry, Harry. We have to go before they realise that you won't be in to work. We'll apparate to muggle London and then take a train from there. No one will think to check the trains if we get there before you're due at work."

Harry polished off the last of the pancakes he had whipped up, and grabbing his cloak and shrunken trunk, he waited for Luna and then side along apparated them to an alley beside Kings Cross St. Pancras station.

Carefully surveying the street, they quickly made their way into the station, where Luna purchased two first class tickets to Paris. Unfortunately, the train didn't leave until 11AM. How to remain hidden until then? Finally they solved the problem with a glamour. Harry was quite good at it, having been on the run from Voldemort, while searching for his horcruxes.

They would take the Channel Tunnel through Folkestone to Calais and thence to Paris. Fortunately, Harry had his passport, since he occasionally had to travel outside the UK. Luna, used to excursions with her father, had updated hers a month ago in anticipation of some exotic trip her father had planned.

Boarding the first class Eurostar car at 11:00 AM, they settled down for a pleasant journey. A nice meal with champaigne was served to first class passengers. Harry had never enjoyed himself so much. Luna clung to him, occasionally whispering in his ear as they passed some important point of interest. Travelling at 185 miles an hour they arrived at Gare du Nord station in Paris 2 hours and 15 minutes later.

………………….

Hermione's letter arrived at Luna's an hour after they left. Her father would notice the letter and the note from Luna and put the letter away for her to read when she arrived home from wherever she was going. Xenophilius didn't question his daughter's motives for leaving with Harry Potter. He knew she had been in love with him for years. It looked like she had caught him and he couldn't be more pleased. Harry was one of his favourite people, despite only meeting him once, so if Luna and Harry wanted to "disappear" for awhile, he would oblige them.

An hour later, aurors showed up at the Lovegood residence asking if he'd seen Harry Potter. He told them no (which was the truth). They asked about his daughter Luna and he truthfully told them that she was unavailable and didn't know when he would next see her.

The aurors left and continued to check various places. They checked his home (of course not there), they checked Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. The checked with Hermione and finally checked Kings Cross station, only to have missed them by minutes, but they were not to know that. The Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley yielded no results. He hadn't visited Gringotts and nobody admitted to seeing him. Frustrated, they sent out a missing persons alert with pictures, but it was much too late for that. Harry and Luna were safely in a very nice hotel in Paris. Currently, Luna was trying to cuddle with Harry, with mixed results.

………………….


	6. Chapter 6

**Settling For Less**

A Harry Potter - Luna Lovegood story

Angst/Romance

Warning: mature subject mater in this chapter.

Disclaimer JKR's, not mine etc.

**Chapter 6: Paris**

**Paris France, Sunday, July 22nd, 2001:**

Oh the joys of Paris! Harry and Luna walked about, enjoying the sights. Harry had completely relaxed in Luna's presence now. Every once in awhile, a twinge of regret for Hermione crept in, but Luna made sure that he didn't dwell on it for long. She could sense when Harry's spirits drooped, and rightly suspected Hermione was the cause. This would have to be resolved, and Luna was afraid that Hermione would distract him too much right now, so she was determined to keep him looking forward. A hug here, a small peck on the cheek there and Luna was sure Harry was recovering his buoyant spirits that she remembered from Hogwarts. He was still a bit uncomfortable cuddling, so she backed off a bit there, but she was determined to eventually win Harry's heart.

Harry was feeling better than he had been for years. Luna seemed to know just what he needed and he was seriously thinking about her now. He didn't think she could replace Hermione in his heart, but she was slowly worming her way into his affections. And Hermione… he needed to find her. Find out what happened, but he didn't want to return to Britain just yet, and he daren't attempt to contact her. No telling if she was married or if somehow he could be traced through an owl to her.

**Gringotts, Paris, Wednesday, August 1, 2001:**

The first order of business after they had toured Paris for a week, was to determine just what had happened to Harry's parents vault at Gringotts. Fortunately, there was a magical alley in Paris near the Sorbonne and a Gringotts bank as well. Hidden in the warren of chic cafés and shops, Ruelle de Magie was Diagon Alley's equivalent. Gringotts was an imposing white edifice, as always, and even looked the same as in London.

A goblin greeted them in French, but quickly switched to English when they noticed Harry's scar.

"Good morning Mr. Potter, how may I help you today? My name is Longclaw."

"You know me?" Harry asked, suddenly unsure of himself.

"Of course, Mr. Potter, you are well known on sight throughout the world."

"My companion is Ms. Luna Lovegood, we would like to investigate the dealings of my parents vault. I have reason to believe it has been wrongfully accessed."

Longclaw's face darkened in menace for a second as he realised the seriousness of the request. His face cleared almost immediately and he smiled toothily. "Of course, Mr. Potter, Gringotts is always ready to help. I'm sure we can clear this up promptly. If you will follow me please?"

Harry and Luna followed the goblin at a quick pace as he scurried down a long hall, passing several doors until they arrived at a heavily warded door. Harry could feel the magic flowing off the many runes carved into the door. Luna shivered and Harry drew her closer.

Longclaw ran a sharp finger down the door and it opened to reveal an ordinary room with a desk and chairs. The only odd thing about the room was the feeling that eyes were watching. Harry couldn't see anything that would indicate this, just the creepy feeling. Luna felt the same and automatically moved closer to Harry.

"Have a seat Mr Potter, Miss Lovegood," Longclaw indicated the chairs. Make yourselves comfortable, well as comfortable as the room will allow. Please forgive the presence of the room. We monitor this room for all sorts of things… eavesdropping, security, lie detection and other nefarious things."

"I understand, Longclaw. It is a creepy feeling, however."

"So noted, Mr. Potter, however, you will shortly come to realise why I've taken this precaution. Your parents vault is under some serious question. We in France haven't had direct involvement with this vault, but are aware of something strange about the vault. Please wait here while I make some inquiries."

With that, Longclaw disappeared for a few minutes. When he returned, his face held a guarded look.

Ah… Well, it seems that someone has emptied the gold from the vault some years ago. I'm having my assistant determine who that someone was. Did you have a Magical Guardian?"

"I believe so. We believe it might have been Professor Dumbledore. Is there anything at all in the vault?"

"Oh, yes, there are the property papers and negotiable instruments that you alone would have access to now that your parents are dead. Hmm, Albus Dumbledore, you say. Most unusual. Your Magical Guardian would normally be someone written into your parents will. Have you seen that will, Mr. Potter?"

Uh, no. When I inquired at the Diagon Alley branch of Gringotts, I was told that they couldn't find one."

"Indeed! That is most disturbing Mr. Potter. There should be another copy somewhere, perhaps at one of your properties."

"I have properties?" Harry asked, shocked. "I thought all I owned was the destroyed house in Godrics Hollow."

Mr. Potter, surely you don't believe that was all your parents owned! They were very wealthy. I have a list of tem properties, one of which is a fine manor in a very nice section of Scotland and another that seems to be a castle of some sort in Wales. The rest of the properties, aside from Godrics Hollow, are spread around the world.

Luna squealed at this. "I knew it! I knew your parents were wealthy. I just couldn't believe that it was all gone. Whoever stole your gold didn't have access to the rest of it, or he would have taken that as well, I'm sure of it."

Harry breathed out a long sigh. He had property, and what were negotiable instruments?

Luna, anticipating Harry's next question, asked Longclaw.

"What are the negotiable instruments, Longclaw? I'm sure some of them must be able to be converted to gold."

"Indeed, Miss Lovegood. Mr. Potters holdings include Bearer Bonds, stocks in companies, outright ownership of several important muggle and magical establishments and controlling interest in others. My assistant will be here shortly with a full list of assets. On the original request, I believe we should be able to recover some if not most of the misappropriated gold. I'm surprised the Diagon Alley branch has not contacted you about this. This would leave me to believe there was some complicity by a Gringotts employee in this apparent scheme. I will do the research myself, and if any Gringotts employee is implicated… well, we goblins have ways of dealing with traitors," he grinned nastily. "Most unpleasant ways, he added."

"Um, Professor Dumbledore is dead. If it turns out that he in fact is the guilty party, what can be done?" Luna asked.

"Miss Lovegood, Gringotts will trace the funds and for a small finders fee, turn over the assets. Goblins have their ways," he smiled toothily.

Harry and Luna shuddered to think what might happen to the perpetrators.

"Ah, here is my assistant now."

A small female goblin entered and bowed, handing over a thick sheaf of parchment to Longclaw.

"Let's see." Longclaw ran quickly through the long list, nodding at some particularly interesting entry. "Ah, yes. I think you will be pleased at the contents of this list. A quick summation indicates that the financial instruments are worth an estimated three billion galleons."

Harry and Luna almost fainted when they heard that. "H-h-h…How much? I'm sure I misheard; did you say t-three b-billion galleons, Longclaw?

"Indeed, Mr. Potter. Since there seems to be a cloud over your vault, I would suggest you move it to a more secure location. I, myself, would be happy to be of service in this respect. I would suggest moving it away from the UK to Switzerland and the secure vaults there. No one but you will ever be able to touch it there. It's even more secure than here in France."

Harry thought about it for a minute, glancing at Luna for her input.

"Harry, I think Longclaw's suggestion is an excellent idea. You could sell off some of the Bearer Bonds for gold or muggle money and be independent for as long as you wish."

Harry was thinking furiously, Luna was right, he needed better security, lest someone make off with the rest of the fortune. He had come to respect, nay actively seek, Luna's council in the last few weeks. She seemed to have a very good head for detail.

"I think Luna is right, and I think you would be an excellent account manager, Longclaw. Would you accept the position?"

"I would be honoured Mr. Potter," Longclaw replied.

"Oh, and one other important thing Longclaw, you are not to let anyone know where we are. Wizarding Britain has started a search for me and we don't wish to be found until we solve a couple of mysteries that have plagued me."

"Harry, how will Longclaw be able to contact you?" Luna asked.

"Not to worry, Miss Lovegood, Gringotts has special ways to contact important clients. When I've transferred your account to Switzerland, I will move there and contact you then. You may be assured that I will keep this in the strictest of confidence. We will get to the bottom of this."

"Thank you Longclaw, and would you please call me Harry and my good friend here, Luna."

"Very well, Harry and Luna, I am honoured. Expect to hear from me in three days at the latest."

After bidding Longclaw goodbye, Harry and Luna left to continue their stroll of Ruelle de Magie. The time was now early afternoon and both were hungry.

………………….

**Ambassador Concorde Hotel Paris, later that day:**

Harry and Luna were relaxing in a very nice suite of rooms in one of Paris' nicer hotels. Harry was feeling very expansive after they concluded their visit to Gringotts. Harry now felt he could afford a nicer place than where they first stayed. Longclaw had exchanged some Bearer Bonds for Harry and Harry had insisted on paying Luna back. They compromised with Harry moving them to a nicer hotel and Luna not hexing him for trying to pay her back. Luna could be quite scary when she put her mind to it.

After a nice hot shower each, they ordered room service to send up a selection of sandwiches and a pot of tea. When the food arrived, Harry tipped the person nicely and they settled down to eat some excellent food. No ham and cheese sandwiches here. Shrimp on rye bread, Smoked Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomato Sandwiches with Basil Olive Pesto, Prosciutto and Brie Sandwiches with Rosemary Fig Confit. Harry had never tried any of this before and was delighted at the taste sensations. Luna tried a bit of everything and found she particularly liked the smoked chicken. This was not ordinary British fare, and at first they were reluctant to try it, but as they carefully tasted the selections, they quickly decided that they liked it all. The tea was just right and after the pair finished, they settled on a comfortable couch, dozing off soon after. Luna snuggled in closer to Harry, seeking the heat of his body. Harry shifted slightly, making himself more comfortable and seeking the heat from Luna.

Hours later, Harry stirred, at first not remembering where he was. Feeling a warm body pressed close to him, he opened his eyes, to find Luna asleep, with her arm wrapped around his waist, a dreamy look on her face and her head on his chest. Her hair flowed gently down her head and spread over his chest, tickling his arms. His robe had slipped down and her lips were close to his chest. She looked so peaceful, he decided not to rouse her, although he now had a problem in his lower half. Harry Junior had awoken and was almost painfully hard.

'_Bloody hell,'_ he thought. _'What do I do now?'_ He tried shifting, but this only aggravated the condition. _'Relax!'_ he told himself, _'This is Luna! You can't be thinking of that!'_ But it was no good; his body would not obey.

Unfortunately, Luna took that moment to sigh and shift closer to Harry, her leg repositioning itself between his legs and resting on his crotch. Harry junior gave a twitch and demanded relief.

Luna was having a most delightful dream. Harry was in a starring role and she was only too eager to support him. As the dream progressed, she could feel herself getting wet and finally awoke to find herself in a most compromising position.

Gasping in embarassment, she stuttered a quick apology and rushed to the bathroom, firmly closing the door. She stood with her head against the door for a minute, breathing deeply. Luna had noticed that Harry had an erection but considered it normal for the position she had been in. _'Lovegood! Whatever are you going to do!'_ she thought. _'Harry isn't ready for this yet.'_ And yet, she knew she would have to move their relationship to the next level soon. Sex was too soon, and although she yearned for it with Harry, she knew he wouldn't accept it from her this soon into their relationship. _'Oooh! How do I solve this dilemma? What must Harry be thinking of me now?'_

Harry, on the other hand, was searching his thoughts and wondering about the pretty blonde. _'Do I love her? She's much nicer than Ginny ever was. Was that enough? Am I settling for less again? What about Hermione?'_ There was no answer, but his body told him differently. His hard-on had not abated, in fact, as she fled, he had a very nice view of her bum and a soft breast had peeked out for an instant. He needed a cold shower, NOW!

"Uh, Luna, when you're finished…?"

"In a minute Harry," she answered shakily. Luna quickly changed her knickers and cleaned herself from the aroma of her arousal. _'That man will be the death of me yet,'_ she thought. _'I can't even control myself when I'm asleep!'_

Settling herself, she sprayed a light bit of perfume on her to hide her pheromones that their closeness had provoked. She didn't want to smell like she had just had sex with him, even though she secretly wished she had. Unfortunately, this only served to arouse Harry further when she exited the bathroom.

Harry growled in frustration and rushed into the shower. A cold shower helped, but he still felt his hormones running wild. _'How an I supposed to control myself when she looked and smelled so good,'_ he thought. _'Bugger it, if it happens, it happens! I haven't touched a girl in three years! And she's certainly a girl, no a very desirable woman!'_

Luna gulped nervously when Harry exited the bathroom. He looked sexy as hell, and it was all she could do to restrain herself from leaping into his arms and ravishing him. Her lips twitched and she knew she was lost.

They practically fell together, arms wrapping around the other, pulling each other close, lips seeking the others. Fire built quickly as their lips met; the passion searing their bodies. As their lips met again, Kissing every exposed part of his face she could reach, Luna moaned deeply, wrapping her legs around his waist, pulling him closer. Harry lifted her slight body and made his way to the bed. Carefully laying her on the bed, he looked at her and his mind locked up. She was beyond beautiful. Her robe slipped open, exposing her well-formed breasts; the pink nipples erect and inviting. Ginny couldn't begin to compare with this dream.

She knew what was going to happen, but she couldn't stop herself. Was he the aggressor, or was she? She didn't care anymore; she had to have him!

Quickly divesting themselves of their robes, they resumed kissing. As their lips met, his tongue gently sought permission to enter her mouth. She parted her lips in acceptance and their tongues danced a wild tango, slipping, caressing, sliding, sucking until they were lost in their passion. Harry rolled Luna onto her back and started to kiss and lick down from her lips to her ear lobes, down her neck, with a quick nip at her pulse point, down to her chest and closed on a firm nipple on her right breast. He gently rolled the nub with his tongue and when she moaned in ecstasy, he clamped his lips on it and hungrily sucked. Moving to the other breast, he performed the same thing. Luna was nearly incoherent by this time, but she managed to reach down and grasp his long member.

Harry gasped as she held his manhood in her soft hand. He raised himself to his knees and bent down, letting her stroke him, while he suckled on her breasts. He turned around so that they were facing opposite now. She continued to stroke him as his knees were on either side of her head. Bending down, he gently spread her legs apart and dipped his head between her thighs. Centring his mouth on her mound, his tongue delved deep into her folds. She came right then in a screaming orgasm, her hips bucking furiously. He couldn't stop and clamped his mouth over over her vulva, sucking, teasing her clit until she clamped her legs closed around his head, begging him to stop.

The orgasm was the first she had ever had with a man, and Harry had driven her over the edge right away. She hadn't been able to hold it back and now she wanted more! "Harry," she moaned, "I need you inside me. Please!"

Harry was only too ready to comply and switched around, positioning himself between her legs. "Are you safe, Luna?" he asked, not knowing if she understood or not.

"Yes, Harry," she gasped. "I've taken a potion each month for the past few months now, hoping for this day."

Harry slowly lowered himself until the tip of his penis was touching her waiting folds. She reached down and guided him in, rubbing his length up and down her waiting lips to lubricate his tip. As he slipped into her, he met resistance at her barrier and paused. Not wanting to wait, she forcefully bucked her hips upward, forcing his cock past the barrier. She paused as the pain hit her and then gradually he worked his way deeper.

"Are you okay, Luna," he asked as he saw the brief pain on her face.

"I'll be okay in a minute, Harry, you're my first. I was expecting the pain and wanted to get it over with."

A few seconds later, she rose her hips, inviting him deeper. As he buried himself in her, he wondered at the softness and tightness of her. Carefully withdrawing an inch or two, he slid back into her, deeper this time. Back and forth, in and out, they slowly built a rhythm. Her hips would rise to meet his and he would sink into her depths, slowly building towards a climax. He felt the heat building in his loins and picked up the pace. She urged him on with small gasps and moans, whispering his name over and over. "Faster Harry," she whispered. "Deeper, harder, fuck me, Harry," she moaned.

That did it, he gave in to the need, his body was demanding and his strokes became faster and harder. She rose to meet him with each thrust, her legs wrapped around his, their bodies slapping against each other in a frantic race to completion. He came first, but she was close behind, her muscles clenching fiercely on his penis, milking him as he spurted into her. Once, twice, over and over again he pulsed into her until he filled her and she leaked his sperm down her legs. He remembered her screaming his name over and over. He thought he may have called out hers in the heat of passion as well.

At last they came down from their mutual orgasms. He rolled them over on their sides, so he wouldn't crush her with his weight. He was still semi hard inside her and he smiled as he looked into her soft eyes.

"You were… there are no words to describe the feeling," he said tenderly.

"Harry, you don't know how long I've waited for this."

"Luna, I didn't think I could love again, but I think I love you," he said softly.

"Harry, I've always loved you!"

They slowly drifted off to sleep, wrapped in each other's arms, both still connected.

………………….


	7. Chapter 7

**Settling For Less**

A Harry Potter - Luna Lovegood story

Angst/Romance

Warning: mature subject mater in this chapter.

Disclaimer JKR's, not mine etc.

**Chapter 7: Paris Answers**

**Ambassador Concorde Hotel Paris****, Thursday, August 2nd, 2001:**

Harry awoke, still connected to Luna and hard again, found it difficult to remain still. He brought his face close to hers and lightly kissed her nose, then softly, her lips.

Fortunately, Luna opened her eyes moments later with a huge smile on her face. "Harry," she laughed. "I see you're awake, or at least part of you is."

She returned the kiss softly and her hips started to move, drawing him into her and gently squeezing him with her internal muscles. Harry reacted with a gentle thrust and then another. Soon he had her moaning and thrusting forcefully, demanding closer contact with him. His body had a mind of its own and it responded, driving into her. Flipping her onto her back, they resumed their torrid lovemaking. Luna wanted to take control, so she pulled him to her and managed to flip him onto his back so she could raise herself and straddle him. Working her body back and forth along his shaft, she soon succumbed to the raw passion, working her body feverishly, intent on taking every bit of pleasure she could from his body. Harry was beyond speech at that point, moaning in ecstasy with every thrust and stroke. He brought his hand between their bodies and began rubbing her clit. She screamed his name and climaxed. He continued to pleasure her and she came again and again. After the fourth orgasm, he finally released, shooting a hot stream into her. She continued to milk him until his cock relaxed. Her whole body vibrated from their lovemaking.

"Wow, that was even better than last night, Luna. I never suspected you could do that with your pussy."

"Harry," she sighed, contentedly, I had no control over it. It just happened naturally. It was overwhelming. I never knew making love could be so good! And it was love, Harry, not just sex, not just a random shag, Love! I love you, Harry, deeply and truly."

"And I love you too Luna. I truly believe I've never been in love before now. This feeling is unlike anything I've ever had."

"We had better get up and shower, Harry. I'm starving!"

Harry chuckled, thinking that it was no wonder, considering the effort they expended last night and this morning.

"Want to share a shower, love?" Harry asked, cheekily.

Luna gave him a feral grin and pulled him into the shower. An hour later and after several hot soapy lovemaking sessions, they emerged, sated and finally clean. Harry had carefully washed her body and shampooed her long hair. Luna, for her part, gave him a very thorough blowjob before washing him thoroughly. He had come in her mouth almost violently, the long ropey strings of semen leaking out of the corners of her mouth as she swallowed as much as she could. She grinned hugely after that, kissing him and letting him taste himself on her lips. He had lifted her up and found her nether lips with his mouth. Alternately sucking on her clit and stroking her sensitive G spot with his fingers, he brought her to a squirting climax; her legs wrapped tightly around his head as she poured her juices into his waiting mouth. That called for another thorough shower, where the process was repeated. Again and again they pleasured each other until neither could stand. After finally letting the water wash over them, they emerged, fully sated and after drying each other, dressed for the day.

After a languid breakfast in the hotel restaurant, the pair set out once again to explore Paris, the city of love. Avoiding the museums this time, they strolled the banks of the Seine. The air was warm and the birds sang. A clear blue sky made the day perfect. Luna hummed an odd tune that Harry couldn't identify as they strolled hand in hand.

"What's that tune, love?" Harry asked.

"It's 'I love Paris In The Springtime', Harry. Have you never heard it before? It's quite old. My mother used to sing it to me when I was small."

"It's lovely, Luna, and no, I've never heard it before."

They spent the day in a little park by the river, relaxing, telling each other stories from their past. They kissed frequently, Harry marvelling at how this young woman had become so much a part of his life in such a short time.

**Gringotts, Wednesday, August 8th:**

Several days later, Longclaw requested a meeting. The portkey that arrived for them came by muggle post, securely wrapped with anti-tampering charms, which surprised both of them. Harry couldn't believe that Gringotts even knew about muggle post, let alone trusted it.

Luna snickered at his confusion. "Honestly, Harry, that was a clever idea. Nobody would have suspected a goblin to use the Royal Mail."

Touching the portkey, they felt the familiar tug behind thie navals as they were instantly transported to the arrival hall of Gringotts. Harry and Luna asked to see Longclaw, and were shown to the private room they had visited before. Harry still had the same creepy feeling of being watched in the room.

Longclaw was seated behind his desk and rose to great Harry and Luna.

"Good morning Mr. Po…Harry and Luna," he corrected himself. "Please have a seat," he offered after they exchanged polite bows.

"Thank you Longclaw," Harry greeted. "You have some news?"

"Yes. Your new account has been set up at Gringotts, Geneva Branch. I will be transferring there to oversee the account. Here is a special bank card keyed to your magic that will allow you to access your money. Since you had almost no liquid funds, I've taken the liberty to cash a few of the Bearer Bonds that were from minor corporations and added them to your account. You should now have a hundred thousand Galleons to draw from. Now, about that other problem, we found out who your Wizarding Guardian was."

**Cambridge, UK, August 8th**

Hermione was in a quandary. Harry was still missing and she had not heard from Luna. _'Where __**was**__ Harry?'_ she wondered. _'Ginny was supposed to forward my letters to Harry and now I find out that she was his girlfriend and obviously didn't pass any of my letters on to him. That BITCH! I'll bet she even read the letters; that would be why she didn't let him see them. Oh Harry, what a mess. You don't even know that I love you. I should have told you before I left to retrieve my parents._

Hermione continued to berate herself and seethed in anger at Ginny. After awhile, a thought came to her.

'_I wonder where Luna is. I should have heard from her by now. She was always prompt in replying to my letters. Maybe I should visit her.'_

**Ottery St. Catchpole, Lovegood residence:**

She apparated to Luna's property, aware that the wards might still be active. Walking up to the house, she knocked and her father opened the door.

"Hello Mr. Lovegood, may I see Luna?"

"Hello Hermione, I haven't seen you in some time. I'm sorry, but Luna is away."

"Oh." she said in disappointment. "Um, you haven't seen our friend Harry Potter, have you?" she asked carefully.

Xenophilius paused, unsure what to say. He knew Hermione and Harry were very close, but his daughter told him not to tell anyone about them. But surely she didn't mean Hermione.

Hermione could almost see the wheels turning in his head and knew that she had struck a sensitive issue.

"I'm sorry Hermione, but Luna asked me not to say. In any case, I haven't seen him, but… well they left together. I don't really know where they are. You must promise not to tell anyone. I think Luna has taken Harry on as a… well… 'project'.

"A project? What does that mean? Why would she do that? Oh course I won't tell anybody."

"Harry has been really depressed these last few years, from what Luna has told me. She met him for the first time in years a couple of months ago at the beach and hasn't stopped talking about him since." He continued to tell Hermione what he knew of Luna's involvement in Harry's life, not that there was much he could tell her. Luna pretty much kept that part to herself.

"Luna did say that they had to get away for some time. You would have seen the Daily Prophet headline about him going missing. I've had aurors here looking for him and turned them away. Even Ginny Weasley dropped by a week ago, looking for Harry and Luna. She seemed a bit off, and Luna told me not to tell her anything, so I didn't. She was quite put out, you know. She stormed out of here, and I could tell she was angry."

Hermione thought about that for awhile, before asking Mr. Lovegood if he would relay a message to them if they contacted him.

"Of course, Hermione, I know she'd love to hear from you. Your last letter is still here, I'll pass that along as well."

Hermione composed a quick note, sealed it and handed it to Luna's father.

………………….

**Gringotts, the same day**

"What? How did Kingsley Shacklebolt get to be my Magical Guardian?" Harry exclaimed in shock.

Longclaw explained: "When you were a baby, and your parents were killed, Dumbledore tried to become your Magical Guardian. Millicent Bagnold, being the Minister of Magic from 1980 - 1990 found out about Albus Dumbledore's plans and took the Magical Guardianship for the Ministry of Magic. Cornelius Fudge succeeded Bagnold and Rufus Scrimgeour succeeded him. After Scrimgeour's death, Kingsley Shacklebolt became the present Minister of Magic. Your Magical Guardianship passed along with the ministers.

"It seems that Fudge decided to access your parents vault to top up his own political aspirations to remain in office. When this failed, he ran with a fair portion of the gold. Mr. Shacklebolt seems to have continued the practice of draining the Potter family vault for much the same reasons, albeit much more thoroughness. When the heirlooms started to vanish, Gringotts stepped in and locked everyone out. Mind, it took Ragnot, the Diagon Alley branch manager to do it. It seems that a Gringotts employee was assisting the Ministers of Magic until caught helping a Ministry aide remove a particularly valuable item. Ragnot then disembowelled the Goblin Griphook."

"Griphook?" Harry exclaimed. "He was the first Goblin I dealt with when I went to Diagon Alley with Rubeus Hagrid, my first year at Hogwarts."

Luna had been taking notes carefully and now spoke. "The Ministry had no right to drain the Potter vault. Despite being Harry's Magical Guardian, the law forbade them from taking money from that vault."

"Ah, well, it seems as if Fudge changed the law to allow the Ministry to use funds from untouched accounts to help fight the war. They were supposed to return the money after the war, but there is no evidence that they ever did. In fact, we suspect that Fudge and Shacklebolt simply diverted the money to their own accounts. A bit tricky to verify and trace, bit I think I have a handle on it now," Longclaw finished.

Harry was floored. "You mean the Ministry of Magic robbed my parents vault?"

"It would seem so, Harry," Longclaw said apologetically. "Now, getting it back will take some effort, but I think we can manage that. It might take a bit of time, but one way or another, Gringotts will recover your funds. I had an audit done from the time of the death of your parents and you should be due approximately one and a half billion Galleons, including interest. Obviously the financial instruments appreciated much faster than the gold. We will seize the assets of the minister and track down Fudge to extract what we can from him. We may not be able to get ut all back, but I suspect we will get the majority. Gringotts will take one-half of one percent of the recovered money."

Harry interuped at this point. "Longclaw, for your help in this matter, I will see you get an additional one half of one percent."

"Harry! That's twenty-two and a half million galleons!" Luna exclaimed.

"Luna, sweet, I never had anything, before Longclaw helped. I'm now very wealthy, I think I can afford to be a bit generous.

"That's very generous Harry. I would suggest a quick visit to Geneva to inspect your new vault and familiarise yourself with the bank employees, so that you will know them if you need to remove anything from your vault. Gringotts Geneva is much more security conscious than Diagon Alley and has been a stickler for proper identification and authorisation. They will want to take a sample of your blood as well."

"That's an excellent idea, Longclaw. Luna and I will travel there in a day of two."

………………….

**Ginny's flat:**

"Bollocks! Where is he? I thought he'd be found by now. And that bitch Luna, she must have something to do with this. Her father looked a bit shifty when I asked him about Harry and Luna. Damn them! Well, it won't do them any good. I have the Potter will and I intend to at least prevent him from claiming his properties. Without the will, they won't be able to claim the properties."

Ginny was unaware of the second copy, residing in the Potter Manor house. She had tried to alter the Potter will, but so far, was unsuccessful. Lily made sure that only a Potter would be able to inherit their property, and Harry was that heir. Even a wife would not be able to access the vault, unless he died. She had not foreseen the treachery of Griphook, however, and he had handed her the will an the understanding that she would bring it to Harry. When Ginny went to talk to Griphook she was told that he was executed for stealing from Harry. The Goblins demanded the return of the Potter will, but Ginny had yet to comply, fearing reprisals from Harry. On the other hand, Griphook had died a very nasty death recently for this betrayal of a wealthy client. She didn't wand to incur the Goblin's wrath either. Maybe she should just destroy it, and tell the Goblins that it had dropped in the fireplace… Would they believe that? She pondered that for some time before reaching a decision.

………………….

**A/N**: I'm using the American notation for billion, not the British that is an American trillion.

………………….


	8. Chapter 8

**Settling For Less**

A Harry Potter - Luna Lovegood story

Angst/Romance

A/N This chapter is the start of my new beta Herman Tumbleweed.

Disclaimer JKR's, not mine etc.

**Chapter 8: Geneva**

**Gringotts, Geneva Friday Aug. 10:**

Two days later, Harry and Luna arrived in Geneva by train. Since it was only a three and a half hour journey, they left in the early morning and arrived before noon.

Stretching their legs, they walked to the bank. Gringotts, Geneva, was located near the lake. Harry had asked Longclaw why Geneva instead of Zurich.

"Less obtrusive, Harry. The fewer people that see you, the better; I'm hoping that you'll blend in better there. Zurich would be the logical place people would expect when you closed your account in Diagon Alley," Longclaw had replied.

Entering the bank, Harry asked to see Longclaw and was shown to a private room after identifying himself and Luna.

The room was similar to the one in Diagon Alley, but Harry suspected that it was even more secure, from the creepy feeling he got. A hidden door opened and Longclaw entered. He was dressed quite a bit better than when they last met. Apparently, account managers of clients with substantial deposits counted for something.

"Good afternoon Harry, Luna. I am pleased to see you once again. The ½ of one percent you've given me, I unfortunately have to refuse. Gringotts policy forbids this, but I was awarded several very nice perks from Gringotts anyway. Goblins, contrary to popular opinion, are not greedy. We are happiest when we serve our clients and earn our standard commission. In this case, Gringotts shares their finders fees with me, which is still a substantial amount. I have already recovered some of the money taken illegally from you. The Fudge account has been drained and deposited in your new vault. We are working on the deceased account of Rufus Scrimgeour. That may take awhile, as it's been distributed to his heirs. Kingsley Shacklebolt is presenting a problem. Nothing to worry about though," Longclaw grinned evilly. "He thinks because he is Minister of Magic, that we have no means to force him. Well, he is mistaken." Longclaw grinned again, showing very pointed teeth.

"Well, that's disturbing, Harry" Luna whispered. "See, I told you that you were paying him too much," she hissed.

"Yeah, maybe you're right," Harry replied quietly.

"Woman are always right, Harry. I thought you knew that," she giggled.

"We'll just take the blood sample now, Harry. Do you want Luna included?" Longclaw asked.

"Uhh… maybe not at this time… wait, can you put a limit on it?"

"Of course. What kind of limit were you thinking?"

"Harry! I don't need access to your vault!" Luna stormed.

"But what if I'm hurt and need something right away?"

"Haaarry! I'm not comfortable with this. Isn't this just what Ginny tried to do?"

"Oh. Er, yeah. Still, I trust you more than I ever trusted Ginny."

"Let it rest for now Harry. You can decide later."

"Miss Lovegood, maybe it would be a good idea to at least take the blood sample now. Harry can set permission later. That way you won't have to make the trip again," Longclaw suggested.

"Well, maybe that would be alright," Luna smiled. She thought that if they ever married, she'd take him up on that. Otherwise she would resist having access to his vault. _'Of course, that's a big if, at the moment,'_ She thought.

"Lets stay here for a few days before going back to Paris, Harry. I'd like to see a bit of Switzerland."

"Great idea, sweet. We could take a couple of day trips by train to see the scenery. I'd like to see more of the Alps."

The next dozen or so days they spent lazily touring Switzerland. Harry had never seen mountains before. Oh, the hills of Hogwarts were fairly high, but the Alps were like nothing he could have imagined. Soaring peaks still covered with snow. Deep valleys and ravines; picture postcard villages with trimmed grass right up to the tracks. Steep inclines and cableways dotted the countryside. All in all a charming place. Finally they decided to travel back to their current home base in Paris.

………………….

**Cambridge Monday Aug. 27th:**

Hermione had just come from visiting her parents. Jean and Dan had wanted Hermione to stay for a longer visit, but she wanted to get back to searching for Harry and Luna. She had ruled out asking Ginny again, as well as the twins. Gringotts was no help, although they seemed a bit frightened when she mentioned Harry's name, come to think of it. Something to ponder. The Ministry was still in an uproar over the disappearance of Harry and the few old friends they shared were likewise no help. _'You'd think that they had vanished from the face of the earth,' she thought. 'Wait, maybe not from the face of the earth, but probably from Britain. Hmm, now which country would they go to? France probably, it's close. Maybe Switzerland or Austria. No, I think France would be the best bet to check. Now how will I go about that? Well, I suppose Paris would be a good place to start. They have a magical alley there. My parents let me shop there on vacation. Maybe someone there has seen them.'_

**Paris, Tuesday Aug. 28th:**

Flying to Paris from Cambridge was easily accomplished, although there was a stopover in Düsseldorf. Still, Hermione was able to arrive in Paris early enough to start her search. The taxi from the airport to the Sorbonne seemed to take forever, however, once she arrived, the Ruelle de Magie was a short walk away. The weather had cooled in the last day or so and Hermione was glad. The summer had been altogether too hot in Britain. Paris was breezy that day, just enough to cool things off. As she made her way through the alley, she noticed a Gringotts at the end of the street. Maybe she should change some of her Galleons to Euros. At that thought, she headed into the bank. _'I wonder if Harry and Luna came in here?'_ she thought. _'It wouldn't hurt to ask, I have to start someplace.'_

Walking up to the nearest Goblin teller, she requested a money exchange. While the Goblin filled out the required forms, she casually asked, "Do you happen to know if Harry Potter has been in recently? He would be traveling with a Miss Luna Lovegood." She knew this might not be the best approach and she was correct, when the Goblin told her that they didn't discuss anything about clients. _'At least that was an answer,'_ she thought. _'He seemed to be a client. Well I probably won't get anything more out of him. I'll have to try one of the shops.'_

Exiting the bank after receiving her Euros, Hermione decided to check the logical places they might have gone. Harry always liked ice cream; maybe they had some here. After checking several shops to no avail, she decided to check the train stations. Perhaps someone had seen them there. If not, checking the hotels would be an arduous job. _'Now, where would they go from here?'_ she thought. _'Merlin, they could be anywhere. Wait, what if they decided France wasn't safe enough for Harry's money. Well, I know Switzerland is probably the safest place, so where in Switzerland? Not Zurich, too well known. Not Lucerne or Basle, too small. Maybe Geneva. Now which station serves Geneva?'_

Arriving at the Gare de Lyon, she checked at the ticket counters and found someone that actually remembered Harry and Luna. "Yes, skinny chap with an odd shaped scar on his forehead, traveling with a pretty blonde. Dressed a bit oddly. Left here, lets see, I think it was August 10th for Geneva. Seemed to be in a bit of a hurry. Traveled first class as I recall. The blonde woman was hanging on to him pretty close," he grinned.

Hermione groaned. Eighteen days ago! I'll never find them now; they could be anywhere.

She was ready to exit the station when she spotted them. They were just arriving off a train that was busily disembarking passengers. Quickly making her way towards them, she softly called "Harry, Luna."

Harry whipped around, and stopped in shock. "H-Hermione," he stuttered. "W-what are you doing here?"

Luna groaned inwardly. _'No, not yet, please!'_ she thought. _'We're not ready.'_

"I've been looking for you two of course."

"Why? I thought you were married and living in Australia," Harry replied unsteadily.

"WHAT? Who told you that? I'm not married and obviously I don't live in Australia!"

"B-but…I saw the notice in the Daily Prophet. It said you had married two, no, three years ago and had moved to Australia. A later paper said you had died in childbirth. Obviously that part was wrong, thank Merlin."

"Harry! None of it's true. I went to retrieve my parents in Australia as soon as the war was over. You were in the hospital, so I couldn't say goodbye, and it took quite a while to find them again, but when I returned, you had disappeared and nobody would tell me where you were. I asked everybody and found you worked for Fred and George, had a stint as an auror and then simply disappeared. I kept writing, hoping you'd answer. I asked Ginny, but she didn't know…"

"Ginny told you WHAT?" Harry was incensed that Ginny didn't tell Hermione that they were living together. "I was living with Ginny! How could she not have told you, never mind me!" Harry raged.

"Oh," she replied quietly. "So you…you married Ginny?"

"No. We were together for three years and at first it wasn't too bad, but I finally saw Ginny for the manipulator she was and left. I've been with Luna since July."

'_Oh no,'_ she thought. _'He's with Luna now! It's not fair! How could I be so stupid, it should have been obvious.'_

"Harry, I didn't know. Of course, I can see that you two love each other," she replied. The relief that she found at finding Harry, quickly turned to desolation. The tears that had threatened to fall finally could not be held back and she turned her head so that he might not see.

Harry saw the tears in her eyes as she quickly turned away. "Hermione," he said softly. "What's wrong?"

"Oh H-Harry, I've b-been a fool. I-I've loved you for years and couldn't find the c-courage to t-tell you," she sobbed, hanging her head.

Harry stood in shock. The girl he had loved for years had just admitted to the same thing he had done. He had failed to tell her he loved her, but that was because he thought Ron had a claim on her. _'Bugger,'_ he thought. _'Now I'm with Luna; I can't leave Luna. I love her too!'_

"Hermione," Luna said softly. "We should talk."

…………….


	9. Chapter 9

**Settling For Less**

A Harry Potter - Luna Lovegood story

Angst/Romance

Warning: mature subject mater in this chapter.

Disclaimer JKR's, not mine etc.

Thanks to my beta Herman Tumbleweed for his corrections and suggestions.

**Chapter 9: Paris, The City Of Love**

**Paris, Aug. 28th:**

Luna guided Hermione and Harry to a quiet corner of the Gare de Lyon train station. Hermione had settled down a bit, but tears continued to leak from the corners of her eyes.

Casting a silencing charm over them, Luna faced Hermione and gently pulled her into a hug. Harry quickly joined the hug and the tears finally stopped, although she continued to hiccough a bit.

"Hermione…" Luna was unsure how to proceed. "Um, Harry and I only got together a couple of months ago. I know that you loved him and Harry loves you too. Maybe we can share him." It hurt Luna to say that, but she was sure she would lose Harry if she didn't make this concession.

"Y-you would do that for me?" Hermione squeaked. "What about you, Harry? D-do you really love me too?" Hermione cast her eyes down, afraid to look at either of them. It seems her Gryffindor courage had failed her at last.

Harry was still processing what Luna and Hermione had said. To say that he was in shock was an understatement. Accepting that Hermione was here, now, was only starting to register in his mind. When Hermione confessed her love to him, his mind barely registered the fact. Add Luna to the mix, and he couldn't really come to grips with all that had happened in the last few minutes. So, he did what all red-blooded males would do when faced with two girls that loved him… he grinned madly but remained speechless.

"Hum…ahh…er…that is…I-I."

"Nice one, Harry," Luna smirked. "Kneazle got your tongue?"

That broke the spell, and Harry quickly realized that this was the best of both worlds: two smart witches that wanted him. "Hermione! I'd love to have you and Luna as my girlfriends! That's a brilliant idea! I love both of you!" he exclaimed.

"How did you find us Hermione?" Luna asked.

A grin broke out on Hermione's face as she realised that she could be with Harry and Luna. "Well, I'd checked everywhere, of course, and finally went to see your father. He finally admitted that you left with Harry. He didn't know where you were, but I pieced it together using logic. If no one could find you in Britain, then you had to have left: that left Europe as a good possibility, so I started with France, since it was closest. The Goblins here looked a bit shifty when I asked them and although they wouldn't tell me, I suspected you had been here. I checked most of the shops and then went to this station. I figured you might want a safer place for your vault, so Switzerland seemed the logical place to go. I asked at the ticket counter and they remembered you went to Geneva. I was about to leave, when I spotted you.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione smiled, "I've missed you so much! I'm willing to share you with Luna if you'll have me. A momentary thought went through her mind, _"Luna, was always a bit odd at school, but she was put in Ravenclaw for a very good reason. Then when she joined us in the Department of Mysteries, I knew I had been overlooking the fine woman she had become,"_ Still smiling she then asked, "Why did you two leave Britain?"

Harry explained what had happened since the end of the war; how the Ministry had systematically robbed him over the years, the fact that the Ministry refused to acknowledge that it was he that killed Voldemort, how he went from job to job only to be transferred to a dead end job as a cipher clerk. "That way, they could keep an eye on me and prevent me from speaking out. I had settled for less than I should have in every facet of my life: Ginny, job, housing, you name it. I was in a deep depression for the last couple of years until Luna rescued me."

Hermione had gasped in shock at each new revelation. "How could they do that to you? I'd love to hex them all into oblivion! So, what have you done about it?"

Luna answered. "I discovered the truth, or at least part of it, with the help of goblins here in France and we've managed to transfer all of Harry's assets to Gringotts in Geneva. I'm working on revealing the Minister's actions, and Ginny is going to get what she deserves. We suspect that Ginny has the Potter Will, but Harry's Goblin account manager has managed to secure his properties. We think that a copy of the Will is at one of the places. We want to see if we can find it, but there's a problem; Harry's on the run from those that would want to prevent him from exposing them. He doesn't want to return to Britain and only he can access his properties."

"Where are you staying now? Hermione asked.

"We have a nice hotel near here," Harry answered. "Why don't we all go there and relax. We can discuss all this later, maybe over dinner."

…………….

**Ambassador Concorde Hotel****, later that day.**

Refreshed after a shower, Hermione watched as Luna and Harry talked quietly. She was still unsure where she stood in this threesome, but she wasn't going to let Harry go now that she had finally found him and confessed her love to him. Sharing with Luna wasn't such a bad deal, she had found she quite liked the quirky witch, although it seemed that the quirkiness had all but disappeared. She hadn't seen Luna in almost a year, but she noticed that she had grown more beautiful since then. The long dusky-blonde hair had darkened a bit, and her figure had filled out nicely. Hermione compared herself to Luna and found that Harry might be pleased. She had lost some of the bushiness of her hair and it now hung in soft waves. She also had filled out nicely and felt that she could hold her own against Luna. She couldn't believe how Ginny had behaved. Rage boiled in her whenever she thought of Ginny now.

"Hi Hermione, all done with your shower?" Harry greeted. "Won't you join us for dinner?"

"Yes, thank you Harry. I'm famished."

They headed down to the hotel dining room and were seated by the waiter.

"This is really elegant, Harry, do you have any suggestions for dinner?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, the seafood is really good here. Try the Bouillabaisse. Luna tells me it's excellent."

"Oh, you've got to try it Hermione," Luna interjected. "I thought I'd died and gone to heaven."

"That sounds good. What are you having Harry?"

"Harry's a meat and potatoes kind of guy," Luna smirked. "I bet he goes for the Blanquette de veau (veal with mushrooms and onions)."

Luna proved to be right and they all enjoyed their meals. Afterward, a nice vintage white Chardonnay wine was served with a light cheesecake.

They eventually returned to their room. Harry had requested a larger room and they transferred their belongings. Harry and Luna were used to sleeping together in the king-size bed, but they were not sure if Hermione would be comfortable with sharing their bed, so they set up a roll away for her.

Hermione wasn't a Gryffindor for nothing and reminded them that she was with them now and would love to share their bed. She took the precaution of casting a silencing charm on the walls, just in case.

"Okay… how will we sleep…I mean, who gets which side…er, that is…" Harry paused, unsure how to say it.

Both Luna and Hermione broke out in giggles, finally laughing at Harry's predicament.

Luna came up with the obvious solution; Harry would be in the middle and she would be on his left side with Hermione on the right. Luna wasn't a fool; she knew Harry tended to sleep on his right side facing her and she would snuggle in as close as she could get. Maybe during the night she could sneak a bit of loving in. Hermione would be facing Harry's back. Of course, Harry sometimes rolled over after sex and then Hermione would have a chance.

Luna had trained Harry to sleep 'au naturel' and Luna had always done that, so it surprised her to find that Hermione also did. Luna admired Hermione's body; they were both about the same height and the same build. Both were a 34C and both shaved. Harry wandered in from the bathroom and seeing the two lovely girls ready for bed, had an instant erection.

'This could be very interesting,' he thought. "Ready for bed, I see," he smiled.

As they arranged themselves in bed, Hermione surprised everyone by swinging her leg over Harry, and rubbed herself against his thigh. Before he could protest, she claimed his lips and suddenly rolled on top of him.

"Hey! No fair," Luna protested.

Hermione actually growled, "You've had him for two months. It's time I had a chance!"

Luna nodded, and quietly acquiesced. She had to admit that watching them was getting her very excited.

"Ooh, Harry," Hermione purred. "I often wondered what your other wand looked like. I'm impressed." As she continued to work her way up his body, his erection became even harder. Raising her hips above his, she impaled herself on him.

Harry gasped as his manhood sank quickly into her wet centre. He couldn't believe she could be that wet so quickly. Then all coherent thought left him as his body responded to her wet heat wrapping itself tightly around his now throbbing member. He wouldn't last very long at this rate and he gasped out, "Slow down Hermione, I'd like this to last more than two minutes."

Luna was amazed. She could never bring herself to this state of arousal that quickly. Even her first time with Harry took her several minutes, but Hermione looked ready to climax right then. It excited her even more.

She was proven right, when Hermione screamed and pumped her hips furiously, driving Harry's cock into her faster and faster. She climaxed and continued right into a second orgasm. Harry could only hang on for the ride and quickly came as well, spilling his seed into her.

Hermione wasn't finished, however and proceeded to her third and then fourth climax, screaming Harry's name. She finally rolled off him, breathing harshly. "That was fantastic Harry. I've waited for years for that."

Luna could only goggle, wide eyed at the level of intimacy she had just witnessed. It turned her on immensely and she wanted Harry just as badly now. He was soft now and breathing hard. That had had one of the most intense orgasms of his life and he was feeling a bit exhausted.

Luna wouldn't let him rest, though. She decided to enter the game and brought her lips to Harry's softening penis. Licking the remains of his semen off him, she slowly brought him into her mouth. It seemed that Harry had more stamina than he thought and soon he was hard again. He bucked his hips as Luna continued to bob her head up and down on him, slurping merrily. Harry groaned after a few minutes, and Luna knew he was close. She mounted him the same way Hermione had and soon found her rhythm. Up and down, in and out, slowly at first and then with increasing speed as their passion mounted. She deliberately slowed the pace, easing the growing release they both wanted. Luna was able to prolong the sweet agony for several more minutes, before her body gave up the struggle to contain the growing orgasm. They both tipped over the edge at the same time, Luna's hips driving mercilessly into Harry's. "Oh, Oh, Ohh! Ahh! Harry!"

"Luna! Ahh!" They had both come together. A moment later he breathed, "That was brilliant.".

Hermione watched, rubbing her clit furiously and came again as well just after they did. All three were sticky but Hermione solved that with a quick cleaning charm. This time, all three were spent and were soon asleep, legs intertwined.

…………….

The next morning saw three sleepy people slowly awake to sunlight streaming in the window.

"Harry," Luna cooed softly. "It's morning, and I need you again."

Harry groaned, but a smile played on his lips as he turned to her. This time he mounted her and rubbed his erection up and down her slit until she was once more wet with desire. Slowly slipping into her, he worked until he was fully sheathed inside her. He paused and leaned forward to kiss her erect nipples, laving each one, before sucking the hard nub and rolling his tongue around it.

Luna squirmed, panting in little gasps. "Oooh, Harry, that's so nice."

Hermione wasn't going to be left out and reached over to kiss Luna, causing the startled blonde to moan. Their lips danced on each other and their tongues fought for dominance. A low growl in Hermione's throat let Luna know she wanted more. Luna reached up and started stroking Hermione's breasts and then with one hand, felt for her soft folds.

Things progressed rapidly from there and an hour later the sweaty wizard and witches rushed to the shower. Not that the shower helped, initially, as the fun continued in the shower. The girls were insatiable and Harry was having the time of his life. Who knew that life could be this good!

…………….

After a late breakfast, the trio settled down to plan their day. Luna wanted to see if she could clear up the damage that the Ministry had done to Harry, with it's denial that he was the one to kill Voldemort. Harry couldn't be fussed about that, but both Luna and Hermione reminded him that it was important for the truth to be told. After all, the Minister of Magic had claimed the death of Voldemort for himself and had the nerve to manipulate Harry and discredit him, in effect ruining his reputation.

"Harry, we can't let Kinsley get away with this. He continued robbing you, just like his predecessors," Luna reminded him. "I've just finished an article that we'll publish in the Quibbler. Facts will be brought out that will embarrass the Ministry and hopefully force the Minister out of office."

Hermione agreed and helped with the draft article. Working throughout the day, the girls were finally satisfied with the wording and sent the finished article to Luna's father for publication.

The next few days were filled with fun and lovemaking. Each night, Hermione led the charge to the bed with Luna dragging Harry out in the morning for their shower. By the end of the week, Harry was exhausted, but had a permanent smile on his lips. Hermione was happier than she had ever been and Luna had at last found her 'Prince Charming'.

Hermione was working on a way for Harry to visit Potter Manor, where a copy of the Potter Will was presumed to reside. It would be tricky, as Harry must not be seen. At this point, a price had been put on his head and a manufactured story fed to The Daily Prophet listing his supposed misdeeds. The Quibbler article was ruthlessly suppressed and Luna's father arrested for sedition.

Luna was in tears and Harry was angry beyond words when they found out. The hotel room fairly shook with magic as they vented their frustrations. Oh, the Ministry would pay heavily for that, the trio vowed.


	10. Chapter 10

**Settling For Less**

A Harry Potter - Luna Lovegood story

Angst/Romance

Warning: mature subject matter in this chapter.

Disclaimer JKR's, not mine etc.

Thanks to my beta Herman Tumbleweed for his corrections and suggestions.

**Chapter 10: Planning**

**Paris, Aug. 31st:**

As Hermione continued to work out how best to sneak Harry into Britain and his property, Harry and Luna were plotting how best to secure her fathers release. They had already discarded several plans and were getting desperate for ideas. Fortunately, Luna was one of the smartest Ravenclaws Hogwarts ever produced. Only Padma Patil topped her and she was a year ahead. By the time Luna graduated, most people recognised the brilliance of her mind. Gone were the nasty tricks played on her in years past. She had matured and cast aside the pretended oddness that many had shunned or picked on her for. People came to respect her in her final year at school. She had graduated and gone to work with her father at the Quibbler, eventually taking over most of the day-to-day decisions of running the paper. Now that her father was arrested, Luna worked desperately to free him. She knew she couldn't appear in Britain any more than Harry could, so they planned from an office Harry had rented for them under an assumed name.

…………….

**Ministry of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt's office:**

Shack was worried. Potter had still eluded capture. "Damn," he swore loudly. "How did they find out? That Lovegood girl did a real number on me; well I've got her father now. Let's see if she turns up to try to release him. I'll bet Potter is with her. When I get my hands on those two troublemakers… I should have obliviated him when I had the chance, years ago."

Kingsley had issued a press release to The Daily Prophet, denying the allegations in The Quibbler and issuing arrest warrants for Luna and Harry. Little did he realise that the damage was already done. The Quibbler was widely read, now that the war was over and Luna had been running it. A goodly number of people read it instead of The Prophet, and unrest was already working its way through the wizarding public. Most had not believed the rubbish that The Prophet had printed about Harry, still believing he was The-Boy-Who-Killed the Dark Lord.

The Wizengamot was due to meet in a week and Merlin only knew what would happen there.

…………….

**Ginny's flat:**

Ginny didn't receive The Quibbler and therefore was unaware of the allegations against the Minister of Magic until she read about the denial in The Prophet. Dismissing the affair, she was working on a way to destroy the Potter Will. It seemed that it was impervious to fire and curses. She couldn't vanish it and it lay there on the table accusingly. The Goblins were exerting considerable pressure for the return of the will, but Ginny had consistently denied having it and now that Griphook was dead, they had no proof. Still, it worried her. If her flat were ever searched, the cursed document would be found. She considered burying it, but where? If they ever questioned her… she shivered at the thought.

…………….

**Paris, Sept. 1st:**

Hermione finally thought of the obvious: Hedwig. "Why didn't I think of this before!" she admonished herself. "Harry, all you have to do is send Hedwig to Potter Manor and she can get the will."

"Brilliant Hermione, why didn't I think of that?"

Luna interjected, "Because we were busy with planning, Harry. Hermione had the time to figure it out. It's an excellent idea. Do you think Hedwig will know where the will is?"

"She's a very smart owl, I've never had any trouble getting her to figure just what I want. I'll send her right away."

Harry talked to Hedwig for a couple of minutes, with Hedwig bobbing her head in acknowledgement. Harry wrote a quick note in case there was a house elf there, before he opened the window for her. She took the note and quickly flew away as they settled back to wait.

…………….

**Longclaw's office; Gringotts, Geneva:**

Longclaw had finally retrieved all of Harry's funds except those from the current Minister of Magic. Minister Shacklebolt was proving to be a most difficult opponent. Short of starting a war between the Goblins and the Ministry, Longclaw was at a temporary impasse. Growling in frustration, he continued to gnaw at the problem. If only he had the Potter's will, but that thrice damned Weasley female wouldn't let it go. With Griphook dead, he didn't see a way to force her to give up something she denied having. The Minister, unfortunately, would have to wait. Perhaps Mr. Potter had been able to retrieve the copy. He'd owl him tomorrow and see if any progress had been made.

Meanwhile, Harry was now officially the richest wizard in the country. The goblin had been able to gather most of the funds that had been illegally taken by the previous ministers. Scrimgeour's fortune was hardest to track down, since his death had so many heirs. They had kicked and screamed, but Longclaw had prevailed by threatening to behead anyone holding back. The heirs quickly decided to accede to his demands.

Fudge had cowered and quickly caved in to Longclaw's demands and Bagnold had issued empty threats that were quickly seen for what they were; all in all, a most satisfactory resolution to the theft**.** Now, he could start on an aggressive re-investment for his client.

…………….

**Paris, Sept. 3rd:**

Harry and Luna were engaged in their favourite activity; early morning sex. The lovemaking had gone on for more than an hour after Hermione had been sated. Hermione was very aggressive in bed, trying new positions and trying to shag Harry's brains out, but Luna tended to draw their lovemaking out longer. Currently, she was sucking Harry's cock, drawing him into his fourth orgasm of the morning. Moaning in ecstasy, he shot a long ropey stream of semen into her mouth. She swallowed several times and licked him clean.

Pulling her to him, he entered her, his long shaft penetrating deep. Moving slowly, he fully hardened once more and worked in and out, building a smooth but fast rhythm with her. Her vaginal muscles clamped tightly around his shaft, milking him. That almost drove him over the edge and he had to slow the pace down, lest he come too soon.

Luna felt her body respond strongly to him. He turned her on at so many levels. All he had to do was touch her and she was wet.

Soon, they resumed their pace, drawing out their lovemaking until Hermione peeked in on them, watching as they languidly moved in the ancient dance of love. Harry was on top again and presently, Luna flipped them over.

Hermione couldn't stand it any longer and quickly discarding her robe, approached the pair. "Harry, can I try something different with you two?"

Harry nodded, still fucking slowly, deeply seated in Luna.

Kneeling at Harry's head, she slowly lowered her body to his waiting face and lips. Rubbing her pussy back and forth, she felt his tongue slide into her folds. A low growl of pure lust escaped her. Leaning forward, she met Luna's lips and the two kissed, their tongues flashing in an erotic rhythm.

As the passion built, their movements sped up, becoming more frantic. Hermione could feel her climax starting and Luna was close as well. Harry was pumping furiously, his hips bucking and crashing against Luna's pelvic bone. Licking and slurping, he pulled Hermione over the edge and she screamed as she came, squirting into Harry's waiting mouth. Ah, ah, ah, ohhh! Don't stop Harry!

Harry continued pleasuring Hermione, finding her sensitive nub and teasing it until she came again and again.

Luna was incoherent as she came as well. She had such a powerful orgasm that she squirted as well.

After their bodies stopped twitching, they slowly relaxed and held each other, drifting off to sleep.

An hour later, they rose, showered, dressed and made their way down to lunch. After a hearty meal, they returned to their room to continue planning their release of Luna's father from the Ministry.

Hedwig arrived at their window in the late afternoon with a letter attached to her leg.

"Good girl," Harry praised her as he gave her an owl treat and stroked her head. She nipped his fingers gently and tucked her head into his neck.

The letter was better than he hoped. It contained the copy of the will and a note from one of the Potter House Elves.

'Master Harry Potter', it began. 'My name is Cody and I am the Potter Manor House Elf in charge of the Manor's elves. It was my pleasure to retrieve the Potter will for your owl. I have not seen you since you were a baby, Master, but I take this opportunity to welcome you to your prime residence.

'Your owl has also delivered a portkey to you (see enclosed Galleon). It will bring you to the main hall when you tap the portkey with your wand. Take care not to bring anyone with you this first time unless you are married, as they will be unable to transport and will likely splinch themselves. The wards will only recognise a Potter. We await your arrival.'

Harry shook the envelope and the Galleon dropped out.

Luna squealed in delight when she read the letter. Hermione was a little more cautious, however.

"Harry, you have house elves?" The brunette asked in that disapproving tone Harry knew so well.

"Sweetheart, I'm sure they will accept payment. Just look on them as paid servants."

"Well, if you say so, Harry. As long as they accept pay…"

Luna giggled at Hermione's predicament. "Relax Hermione, Harry will find a way to hire them. They'll probably insist on bonding to him though."

"Bonding? That's a form of slavery!"

"No, silly, if you were bonded to Harry, and I suspect both of us are pretty close to just that, I don't think you'd consider yourself a slave. It would be more like a partnership, or marriage," Luna informed her.

"In any case, I'll need to go there alone for this first time since neither of you are Potters," _Yet_, he thought. _Wait, where did that come from? Do I love them enough to marry them? Can I have two wives?_

Luna and Hermione were thinking along the same lines and shared as smile between them. Both winked at each other, without Harry seeing them. Luna giggled and Hermione followed suit.

"Hmm?" Harry queried. "Something I said?"

"No Harry," the both chorused, but continued to giggle.

"I'll see you two in a bit." Harry grabbed his wand and touched the Galleon. He felt the familiar pull behind his navel and was gone.

Luna looked at Hermione and smiled. "I think we had best plan for a wedding or two, don't you think?"

"I believe you're right. Harry needs both of us, and we both need Harry. I'm sure he's in love with us, he just needs a small push to propose."

"We'll need to plan, Hermione. It's what we do best.

**Potter Manor:**

Harry arrived in the main hall and fell to his knees. "After all this time, you'd think I'd get used to portkey travel," he groused.

Cody was there waiting for him and bowed in greeting. "Master Harry, it's good to see you again. We've waited for a long time for your arrival! Mimi, Mini!" the elf called, and two more elves appeared, bowing low. "Welcome home Master," they chorused.

Cody took him on a tour of the Manor, and Harry was astonished at the size. There were eight bedrooms and a master suite, all nine with facilites, a large formal dining room, a great room, large kitchen (Harry was not allowed to set foot in there), a ballroom, a games room, a library (the girls would be happy), and a study.

After the tour, Cody explained that the Potter Castle was rarely used, although still in perfect condition. There were six more house elves that kept the castle in good order, as well as another dozen to oversee the other properties.

"And how do I get to those other properties, Cody?"

"Oh, they are all connected to your private secure floo system, sir," Cody replied with a smirk.

A smirking house elf was a very disturbing sight, Harry realised.

"Next question, I have, um… two, uh… girlfriends. How…?"

"Oh, you would like to key them into the wards, Master?"

"Uh, yes, exactly."

"It would be easier if you married them, master," Cody grinned craftily. "But I can reset the wards, if you'd like. Your mother has a book on Potter wards that you'll have to read as soon as you can. Then you can fine tune them to admit only those you choose. Your parents would have stayed here, but putting the Fidelius Charm on this large manor would have taken more power than they had."

"Fine, then please reset the wards to admit Luna Lovegood and Hermione Granger," Harry requested. "I'll take the book with me and pop back here with them in a few hours. Is the Galleon portkey still useable?"

"Yes, Master Harry. It is a special Potter one. I advise not using it for your… er… girlfriends, since it will only recognise a Potter or his wife. I have a more general portkey you can use for them." He handed Harry a black key engraved with an odd rune. "This was used by the Potters for generations to transport guests here. It is activated the same way and can only be done so by you."

Harry took the key, bid goodbye to the house elves and tapped his wand to the key. Instantly he was back at the hotel.

**Paris, at the hotel, Sept. 3rd:**

Harry arrived back at the hotel amid a giggling pair of girlfriends. Wondering what was going on, he put on his sternest face and asked, "What are you two up to?"

Luna only giggled louder and Hermione hid the smirk on her face as she answered. "Nothing, Harry." Changing the subject, Hermione asked, "How was Potter Manor? Was Cody there? Were there any other house elves?" All this, very fast.

"Whoa, slow down Hermione. Potter Manor was fantastic. I'll show you two. I have a special portkey to take you there, and yes Cody is there and there are two more house elves.

"Now, I know something is going on with you two, give!"

"Aw, Harry, we were just having a little discussion. Just girl talk, you wouldn't be interested," Luna lied smoothly.

Harry looked suspiciously at them, but decided he wouldn't get anything more out of them.

"Okay, grab hold of this black key and I'll take you there. We won't stay long, since we have a lot of planning to do first."

Hermione and Luna were practically bouncing on their feet, anxious to go. As they all grabbed the key, Harry activated it and they felt the familiar pull behind their navel and were gone.

**Potter Manor:**

A second later, they appeared in the main hall of Potter Manor in a tumble of legs and bodies.

"I'll never get used to portkey travel," Harry groused.

Luna looked around at the Manor. It was indeed fantastic. The rich wood panelling was polished to a fine shine and the marble floor was breathtaking. "Harry," she whispered. "This is awesome."

Hermione squeaked in surprise when she looked around. The place was indeed magnificent. She and Luna would have to advance their plans a bit. No way were they going to let Harry live here alone.

After they had met Cody, Mimi and Mini, Cody showed the girls the rest of the Manor. Harry was watching them as they oohd and ahhd over the rooms. One look at the library was enough for both girls to immediately squeal in delight.

"Harry," they both chorused, "this will be our favourite room."

Harry smiled at the two smart witches. He had them figured out.

…………..


	11. Chapter 11

**Settling For Less**

A Harry Potter - Luna Lovegood story

Angst/Romance

Warning: mature subject mater in this chapter.

Disclaimer JKR's, not mine etc.

Thanks to my beta Herman Tumbleweed for his corrections and suggestions.

**Chapter 11: Settling In**

**Potter Manor, Sept. 3rd:**

Harry grinned as the two witches continued to ogle the library. Floor to ceiling bookshelves crammed with books took up most of the space in the large room. While not anywhere near as large as the Hogwarts library, it was certainly an impressive sight. In the middle, was a very large table for reading, along with several comfortable armchairs.

Luna whispered to Hermione, "I think we need to christen this room, don't you think?"

"Indeed, and I know just the way to do that," Hermione replied softly, giggling.

Harry could hear them whispering and wondered what they were up to. There had been entirely too much of that going on lately.

"Oh Harry," Luna called sweetly.

…………….

**Ginny's flat:**

'_Hmm, this damn will seems to be indestructible. So where can I get rid of it where the Goblins can't find it?'_ Ginny was having a hard time figuring out what to do with the will. She couldn't bury it, since there was a charm on it that would be to make it easy to locate; and if the Goblins ever found out about that, there'd be hell to pay. A particularly nasty Goblin had been insisting she turn over the will, but she had denied having it. Longclaw seemed not to believe her though and she was getting desperate to be rid of the blasted thing. Then she remembered Harry's parents' home in Godric Hollow. Nobody would think to check there, as it was just a shell of a building. Harry had taken her there at the beginning of their relationship and had never gone back, as the memories were too painful.

'Perfect,' she thought and apparated there. Nosing around the ruins, she spotted his parents graves and decided to bury the Will with his mother. Carefully digging with a gardening spell she knew, she unearthed the grave, placed the will atop the casket and reburied it. She didn't notice the flare of magic that accompanied the deed and returned home satisfied.

She was hungry after that effort and proceeded to the kitchen, where she noticed a parchment on the table. Grabbing it, she gasped and fainted when she saw what it was. The will had returned, as if accusing her.

When she awoke, she grabbed the will and was trying to rip it up, when a ghostly image arose from it. Ginny had seen Harry's picture of Lily and the ghostly image looked just like her.

As the image wavered and then became a bit more solid, Lily's ghostly hand reached out, pointing accusingly at Ginny and she spoke.

"This was is not for you! What have you done to my son?"

Ginny was speechless for a moment, before stuttering a reply. "M-M-Mrs. P-Potter." She squeaked. "I-I…" She couldn't think what to say, and ran from the flat in panic.

**Minister of Magic Office, Sept. 3rd:**

"Sir, we've just been informed by the DMLE office that several unauthorised international Portkeys have been used. They came from France but we don't know where in Britain they landed," Shacklebolt's liaison officer told him.

"POTTER! I'd bet Galleons on it!" Kingsley roared. "What do you mean you don't know where they landed! Find out!"

"Yes sir, but the DMLE holds out little hope, the last one activated six hours ago."

"And it took you all this time to notify me? Why is that Stebbins?"

"Um, well, the DMLE at first thought it was an agent of ours returning, but after checking, they decided to see who they had in France. There was one Portkey, then the return one, then the final ones activated and, well, they sort of panicked. It wasn't one of ours, sir…"

"You nincompoop! Of course it wasn't one of ours! We don't have anybody in France at the moment, they're all over here looking for Potter."

"Yes sir, they finally realised that and sent a note up to me."

"Afraid I'd kick their arses, were they? Get those thick-headed people moving. I want to find out where Potter is! NOW!"

"Yes sir," Stebbins answered meekly, quickly exiting the office.

**Potter Manor, later that evening:**

Luna and Hermione had satisfied themselves and Harry, thus ensuring that the Library had been properly 'christened'. They now listened while Cody told them stories of James and Lily and the antics Harry used to get up to when he was a baby.

Harry blushed red, when Cody brought out his baby pictures. Both Luna and Hermione giggled and finally laughed when they saw the pictures of Harry riding a toy broom and trying to outfly a furious Lily, who chased him around the Manor. "Mistress Lily was quite upset at Master James for letting Young Master ride that," Cody smiled.

Finally, after a wonderful dinner, Harry and the girls headed up to the master bedroom, yawning widely.

"We'll have to set a proper Fidelius Charm on this place and then we can move in," Harry stated. "For now, Cody tells me that the Manor wards protect us well enough and the place is unplottable."

"Come on to bed, Harry," Hermione urged. "We need to continue what we started in the Library."

Harry groaned. The table in the Library was not the most comfortable place for lovemaking, but a couple of cushioning charms helped. He had taken both of them, one after the other and then together, several times until he was quite worn out. The girls wanted more and he promised that they would 'christen' the master bedroom that night, but now he felt like he could sleep for a week.

"None of that, now," Luna chastised him. "You promised." Luna had already stripped her clothes off and was now tugging at Harry's.

Hermione and Luna had decided that they liked a threesome and were researching new positions to liven up their sex life even more. Not that it wasn't lively enough already, but they loved experimenting. There was a very interesting book they found in the Library full of naughty things they both were dying to try. It didn't take them long to convince Harry, as they showed him the book.

"My mum and dad did that?" he asked, shocked as he looked at a well thumbed page.

Luna giggled. "I'm positive, Harry, see how well used the page is?"

Hermione smirked in agreement. "Well, if it's good enough for your parents… I want to try it!"

"You're sure? It looks tricky. I mean, does the, um…well," Harry seemed to be having a bit of trouble wrapping his mind around this particular activity. "I mean, is it safe? It looks a bit dodgy to me."

"Come on Harry, it looks like fun," Luna urged him.

Seeing where this was going, Harry gave in and presently the three of them were swinging in a freeform swing that brought all three into intimate contact, while swaying gently back and forth. Harry's member was alternately inside Luna's pussy, Hemione's mouth, Luna's arse and Hermione's hands. Hermione was stroked by Luna and Harry while they swung and then it was Luna's turn to be stroked and pleasured. Three screaming orgasms later, Luna called it quits. Hermione continued for another two until she too gave out.

They then settled into bed and continued their lovemaking until they all fell asleep, entwined with each other.

The next morning after their usual morning workout, they headed for the shower and further 'sexercises', finally scrubbing each other and heading for breakfast.

After breakfast, Harry had Hermione research the Fidelius Charm with Luna. Together, they managed to come up with the proper way to do it, but it took the rest of the day to get it right.

"Harry, we have to return to Paris for our belongings," Luna said.

"Merlin, I almost forgot about that! I'll go, that way I can check out of the hotel at the same time."

"Remember, we have to let Longclaw know as well," Luna reminded him.

"Thanks love, you two get settled here and I'll be back shortly. Cody!" Harry called.

Cody popped into view and bowed low. "Yes, Master Harry? How may I help?"

"Will we have any trouble using the Portkey, now that we've modified the wards?"

"No sir, I've already checked that and the Portkey still works. By the way, Master Harry, your owl just showed up here, a few minutes ago. She seems a bit put out that you left her in Paris."

Harry smacked his head. "Damn, I forgot about Hedwig. Let her in here please."

Hedwig flew straight to his arm and dug her talons in painfully. "Sorry girl, we've been rather busy and I'm afraid I just forgot."

Hedwig looked at him crossly and then softened, rubbing her head against his neck affectionately.

"I have to go back to Paris for a little while, girl, Luna and Hermione will take care of you. I'll see you when I get back."

Harry bade goodbye to the girls with a kiss and grabbing the Portkey touched his wand to it and disappeared.

**Paris, a short time later:**

As Harry arrived in his hotel room, something seemed off. He turned around, only to find a wand pointed straight at him.

"Ah, Mr. Potter," said an oily voice. "We were hoping you would show up." The voice belonged to a DMLE Auror that Harry recognised as a man he had worked with briefly.

"What do you want Goldwin?" Harry asked coldly. Harry knew Godfrey Goldwin was a bit of a loose cannon in the Auror Corps. A bit too quick to act, as he remembered and therefore dangerous.

"I believe you are wanted in Britain, Mr. Potter. The Minister of Magic as authorised your arrest."

"And, you realise you have no jurisdiction here in France," Harry replied calmly.

"Oh, but we do," he sneered. "You see, the Minister has upped the charges to treason and has informed the French authorities."

"Treason? By what stretch of the imagination has he brought this charge?"

"Ah, well, it seems that since you work in the Department of Mysteries, it was felt that you were passing state secrets to a foreign power. Come along quietly now. I'll take that wand, if you don't mind."

"Oh, but we do mind," said a pair of female voices right behind Goldwin.

Godfrey whipped around only to be stunned by Luna and Hermione.

"Goodness, Harry, we can't leave you for a moment and you get in trouble," Hermione snickered.

"Well thanks, but I could have handled him," Harry said sheepishly. He had been caught unaware by Goldwin and should have known better.

"Now, I'll take care of checking out," Hermione said. "You would be recognised if there were any more Aurors downstairs."

"No, if there are more, they'll know the room and might grab you too. We'll just collect our trunks and things and go. I'll take care of the bill another way," Harry replied.

"I'll keep an eye out at the door, Harry," Luna suggested.

"No, just put some locking charms on the door and watch for anyone apparating in," Harry replied, taking charge.

As Harry and Hermione packed and shrunk all the trunks, Luna saw a shimmer and screamed. "Harry, Hermione watch out!"

Harry whirled around, his wand already out and fired a stunner at a man who had just appeared.

Hermione grabbed her wand and fired along with Luna as two more men apparated in.

Then it got crazy. Four more wizards apparated in and the trio were kept busy firing hexes and curses, while dodging some serious spells. Luna fell as an Incarcerous spell wrapped ropes around her. Hermione screamed and fired a Bludgeoning spell at the wizard. The invader fell and didn't move. Harry was duelling with two wizards and managed to knock one through the wall. The other ducked and fired a cutting spell at Harry, which grazed his wand arm. Luna had managed to free her wand arm and aimed a particularly nasty hex at the nearest wizard, who slumped to the floor unconscious. The remaining wizard was duelling furiously with Hermione and Harry, until Luna surprised him with another nasty spell. Blood dripped from his mouth and nose as he fell to the floor.

"All finished packing?" Luna called breathlessly. "Let's go before reinforcements arrive!"

Harry and Hermione didn't need to be told twice. Grabbing their shrunken trunks, the trio reached for the black portkey and disappeared just as a swarm of Aurors arrived.

"Shit! They're gone! Look at the mess. Brandon! See what you can do for these people," the Head Auror barked, pointing to the five downed wizards. "Marty, can we track the portkey?"

"Sorry, Jim, the portkey was untraceable," Marty answered. "Merlin, Jim, how could one wizard take down five trained Aurors?

"I suspect Potter wasn't alone here. Revive Teddy here and we'll piece together what went wrong." _'Blast, I knew we should have involved the French authorities!'_

Teddy groggily told them that two females were with Potter and they were lightning fast.

"Lovegood! But who is the other female?"

"Dunno. Looked familiar though," Teddy answered.

"Well, we'll sort this out at headquarters. The Minister will have a Pensieve and maybe he'll recognise her," Jim answered. _'The boss won't like this screw-up'_, he thought.

After the team had collected their wounded and cleaned the room up, they left by international portkey.

**Potter Manor:**

Harry, Luna and Hermione arrived, shaken in the main hall of Potter Manor. Cody, seeing that his master was injured, took charge.

Harry was healed by Hermione, who luckily knew some battlefield healing charms. Cody provided a potion that would ease the pain and Luna kissed it better. Not to be left out, Hermione kissed it better too and soon, Harry was enveloped in a snog fest.

Cody, wisely left them alone, and went to prepare a light supper for them.

After supper, the trio retired to bed, exhausted after the long day.

……………


	12. Chapter 12

**Settling For Less**

A Harry Potter - Luna Lovegood, Hermione Granger story

Angst/Romance

Warning: mature subject mater in this chapter.

Disclaimer JKR's, not mine etc.

Thanks to my beta Herman Tumbleweed for his corrections and suggestions.

**Chapter 12: Trouble and a Wedding**

**Potter Manor, Sept. 4th:**

The trio slept late after their close call the evening before.

Luna was awake first and began by massaging Harry's more important part. Harry groaned, still in the depths of sleep. Harry junior, however, was fully awake and raring to go. Smirking widely, Luna lowered her lips to the now erect member and began a slow tease, licking softly around the hardening shaft.

Hermione, who had her leg snaked over Harry's and her hips pressed firmly against his leg, was next to awaken and noticing Luna's ministrations to Harry's prized possession, wanted in on the action as well. An hour later, the trio rose and showered after a very satisfying session.

After a late breakfast, Harry decided that Longclaw should have the will that he'd retrieved. "Hedwig, I have a special letter to deliver. Could you take this to Longclaw at Gringotts in Geneva?"

Hedwig hooted and bobbed her head. As soon as Harry attached the letter and will to her leg, she flew out the window and was soon winging her way east.

……………

**Ginny's flat:**

That damned will would not leave her alone. Every time she touched it, Lily's ghost would arise from the parchment accusing her of theft and promising retribution.

"Fine! You want to return to Harry? Well good luck finding him. Even the Ministry doesn't know where he is!" Ginny continued to rant for a few more minutes, before settling on a course of action. She would send the will by owl to Gringotts. That would at least get them off her back.

That proved to be harder than she thought, since the owl refused to accept the enchanted document. Flooing to The Leaky Cauldron, she walked to Gringotts and attempted to leave the will with a goblin. Lily's ghost arose one again, accusing Ginny of theft**,** and Ginny, red in the face, fled Gringotts with the document following close behind, screaming at her.

Back at the flat, she now faced the prospect of having the goblins exact retribution on her. They had obviously noticed the scene in Gringotts main hall, for shortly after, a knock came to her door.

"Oh, great!" she sighed loudly, answering the door.

The goblin that she had attempted to give the will to stood in the doorway.

"Miss Weasley, you have something that doesn't belong to you, I presume. If you hand it over now, that will be the end of it."

"Yes, yes, take the damned thing. It's been nothing but trouble, and good riddance!" She handed the will to the goblin, but the piece of parchment had other ideas, twisting out of his grasp and settling back on the table.

"You will not get off that easily, Ginny Weasley!" Lily's voice screeched. "You WILL return this to Harry in person and apologise!"

"Like hell! I don't even know where Harry is!"

The goblin stood there with his mouth open. Never had he seen the likes of this bit of parchment. There must be strong enchantments on the document. He didn't really know what the document contained, but it was obviously very important.

Lily's ghost smirked. It actually looked quite happy that she said that. "Well," the ghost said smoothly, "I'd say you have quite a dilemma on your hands. I've enchanted this will to get increasingly nasty, the longer you keep it. By touching it without Harry living here or being present, you will no longer enjoy a peaceful life. You thought the Shrieking Shack was bad? Remus was quiet compared to what I can do!"

With that, she let out an ear splitting screech, causing the goblin to hold his ears and retreat out the door. The screaming continued as Ginny too, fled the flat. Neighbours down the hall looked out, askance**,** at the racket coming from Ginny's flat. The sound finally stopped, but Ginny knew it would start again as soon as she re-entered the flat. "Where can I go?" she moaned. She finally settled on George's place.

Explaining to George what had happened was a mistake, as he was firmly on Harry's side.

"You can stay here, since you are my sister, but you'll have to figure a way to get that will back to Harry. I can't tell you how disappointed I am for your actions. You'd better fix this fast, before the will comes to haunt me as well."

Ginny hung her head in shame and promised to find a way.

……………

**Ministry of Magic, DMLE office:**

"Sorry to interrupt you Director," Stebbins said after knocking on her door. Amelia Bones was trying to sort out what had happened in Paris with her agents, and therefore not in a good mood.

"Yes Stebbins, what is it," Amelia answered shortly. Anything to do with the Minister of Magic usually spelled trouble. Kingsley had been more than trouble lately, urging an all out search for Harry Potter. She couldn't understand his interest in Mr. Potter, now that the war was long past. On the other hand, that article in The Quibbler was most disturbing, and if true…well, she didn't want to think about that.

"I'm afraid the Minister of Magic is quite agitated about your lack of progress in finding Mr. Potter or Miss Lovegood. Would you have anything to report?" he asked hopefully.

Amelia swore under her breath. "No, and you can tell Kingsley that if he doesn't stop bothering me, I'll start investigating whether those allegations in the Quibbler were more than seditious libel," she said through clenched teeth. _'Maybe I'll do that anyway, something smells fishy here,'_ she thought.

Stebbins beat a hasty retreat, afraid of where this was leading. Amelia was not someone to mess with**,** and his boss should know that by now.

**Gringotts, Geneva, two days later:**

Longclaw sat pondering the latest word from his contact at Gringotts, Diagon Alley branch.

'_So, the redhead did have the will. Strange that Sharphook could not retrieve it,"_ he thought.

Just then, a snowy white owl arrived with a letter attached. "Ah, Hedwig, you have something for me from Harry, I see." He quickly untied the letter and smiled. The will, or the copy of the will; he would have to authenticate it of course, but that should present no problem. Now he could pursue Shacklebolt. He smiled gleefully at the prospect.

**Minister of Magic office:**

To say Kingsley was upset would be an understatement.

"Stebbins, you're sure you heard Amelia correctly? She actually said she'd investigate The Quibbler allegations?"

"Y-yes, sir, she seemed very angry. She also had nothing to say about Mr. Potter or Miss Lovegood. I heard a rumour that several Aurors were injured in Paris attempting to capture Mr. Potter."

"Damn!" Kinsley exploded. "I'll have to see her myself and sort this out."

"Uh, sir? She seemed to be in a right state. It might not be a good time…"

A knock on the door, and an aide stuck his head in. "Sir, there's a goblin outside wanting to see you," the aide said tremulously.

"Send him away, I'm too busy right now. Have him request an appointment, preferably next month."

"Err, he seems very insistent sir,"

"I said NO!" Kingsley roared. "What is it with you people, can't you even run an office properly? No one sees me without an appointment."

"Yes sir," the aide replied meekly, retreating quickly.

Kingsley had just sealed his own fate. The Gringotts goblin messenger would send a note to Longclaw, who would then seize the Shacklebolt estate. A lawsuit would then be launched and Kingsley would soon find out the power of the goblins.

**Potter Manor, Sept. 23rd:**

Harry, Luna and Hermione had been reading The Daily Prophet when the story broke that The Minister of Magic had been summoned to court to show cause why his assets should not be seized. The trio, of course, had been kept up to date by Longclaw and were expecting this.

"We still have to obtain your father's release, Luna," Harry stated.

They had been working on that very problem for weeks, and were no closer to a solution. Perhaps the lawsuit might help. On top of that, Longclaw had told him about the will in Ginny's possession. Harry had seethed with anger when he heard the details. His mother must have charmed the will somehow.

Speaking out loud, Harry said, angrily, "I have to get that will out of that bitch's hands, but I can't go out in public here until I get Kingsley to rescind that arrest warrant**.** And**,** Luna is still wanted too. Hermione? Can you…? No, that won't work either. The will must be handed to a Potter." He thought for a minute and smacked his forehead at not thinking about it before. Looking up at the two women he loved beyond measure, he said, "A Potter! Luna, Hermione, I've put this off long enough. Will you two marry me? I love both of you, I don't know why I've waited this long to ask you."

Luna glanced at Hermione and smiled. _'At last,'_ they both thought.

Harry found the two witches suddenly had jumped him, kissing him with tears of joy in their eyes.

"Yes!" they chorused. "We'd love to marry you, Harry!"

"There is one problem, Harry," Hermione added. "Who will you get to marry us? We can't exactly do it in Britain**,** and France is now probably off limits, as well."

Harry thought a minute. "Switzerland then. They're a neutral country and we could honeymoon in the Swiss Alps."

The girls squealed at this. "Oooh, that's a great idea, Harry," Luna replied. "When do we go? Why not right away?"

"The sooner the better," Hermione added.

Harry was a bit flummoxed at the eagerness of the two witches. It was as if they had been planning this for some time. He thought, _'Well, all the better. I can't think of a better way to spend my life than with two beautiful girls.'_

"Cody!" Harry called. The house elf instantly popped into the room.

"We're leaving for Switzerland. Could you select appropriate wear for us and pack?"

"Certainly, Master Harry. Would you be using your chalet in Davos?"

"I have a chalet in Davos?" Harry asked, quite stunned.

"Of course, Mistress Lily liked to ski and Master James bought it for her. They spent at least part of the winter there."

"Um, that would be good," Harry said, bemused.

Luna and Hermione were already excited. A honeymoon in a Swiss chalet! Harry wouldn't be let out of bed for a week.

Cody popped back, minutes later telling them that when they were ready, he would take them there.

**Davos Switzerland, Potter Chalet:**

The trio gazed in wonder at the beautiful view they had from the front windows of the chalet. Overlooking the town and valley, the vista was truly splendid. Pity it wasn't winter when the beauty would be enhanced by snow. Only the higher mountains showed snow at this time of year, but Harry noticed a cableway nearby, leading to a summit.

"What's the name of the mountain Cody," Harry asked, pointing to the peak that was just visible from the chalet.

"Weissfluhjoch, Master Harry," Cody answered. The cable car is a spectacular way to see the town and surrounding mountains."

"Let's relax for a few days and explore the area. There's a lot to do before we marry. Cody, is there a magical ministry nearby?"

"No, Master Harry, the closest one is Vaduz, Liechtenstein. The next closest is Zurich."

"Liechtenstein," Harry mused. "Why not. It's a neutral country affiliated with Switzerland and I'm sure we'd be able to be married there."

Luna looked at him for a minute, remembering something. "Liechtenstein, let me think. There's something tickling in the back of my mind. I know; there's a man there that my father knew when we were looking for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. He was quite helpful in gaining access to the magical government to obtain permissions. Perhaps he knows someone who can marry us.

"Do you know who he is and how to contact him?" Harry asked.

"His name is Dietter Müeller, and he lives in Vaduz. I think I can find him again," Luna answered.

"Liechtenstein is a German speaking country, Luna, Do you speak German?" Hermione asked.

"Oh yes, father and I speak several languages."

"Let's go then," Harry said.

They apparated to the Ministry apparation point and Luna asked at the reception desk if they knew where Dietter Müeller could be found.

"Yes, coincidentally, Herr Müeller is with the Minister of Magic at this moment. Would you like to wait?"

Twenty minutes later Dietter Müeller greeted Luna and was introduced to Harry and Hermione. Dietter was a little round man with a large nose and a perpetual smile. He shook Harry's hand vigorously, expressing his thanks for his defeat of Voldemort.

"You knew it was me that defeated him?" Harry asked, astonished. "The British ministry won't acknowledge it."

"Oh, but I saw you do it, Mr. Potter! I was visiting Hogwarts on business at the time and feared for my very life. You were magnificent!"

Harry blushed at the effusive praise from the little man.

"Dietter, do you know anyone that could perform a marriage?" Luna asked, after the pleasantries were taken care of.

"Certainly my dear Luna. Who is getting married?"

"We are," Luna said, grinning widely. "That is, the three of us**, **together."

Dietter looked confused. "Err… Where's the other groom?"

"No, Dietter, Harry is marrying both Hermione and me."

"I see. Most unusual, do you mind if I check to see if that's legal here?"

Harry had a sinking feeling. What if it wasn't legal? Would it be legal in Switzerland?

Hermione interjected at this point.**,** "Mr. Müeller, I've already checked, it's perfectly legal in the wizarding world. If the wizard can prove he can support two wives, he may marry both. This law goes back to 1530 and was reviewed in 1806 and again in 1949. The law was standardised in all European countries that have magical governments. This law was enacted to ensure a sustainable birth rate in the wizarding population."

"I see. I had not heard of this law, so I'd still like to check for my own peace of mind, you understand. I don't know of any threesomes in this country."

"Of course, Dietter," Luna said smoothly. "It's a small country and the wizarding population is quite small. I would expect multiple marriages would be rare here."

"Please excuse me, I'll be right back." And he quickly departed, scurrying to a small office set off to one side of the main hall. He returned a few minutes later, apologising for not knowing about it. "You can appreciate that since this law is little used here, I wasn't aware of it. Please excuse my ignorance. I'll see if I can engage our Minister of Magic in performing the ceremony. He has little enough to do now that Voldemort is gone."

Shortly after, they were ushered into the Minister's office and another short, portly wizard greeted them. "Welcome, Mr. Potter, such a great honour to finally meet you. My name is Rolf Kindle, and Dietter tells me you wish to marry two witches, is that correct?"

"Yes Minister, my two fiancés, Luna Lovegood and Hermione Granger." Harry introduced them and they all shook hands.

"Excellent. Dietter, you will be the witness, yes?"

"Of course Minister, let me get the paperwork." Dietter then left to secure the proper documents.

"While Dietter is out, let me personally thank you for defeating that monster**,** Voldemort. I never believed that idiot Shacklebolt, when he claimed to have defeated him. My own staff witnessed you do so. Oh, Kingsley tried to hush it up, but we left before he could do anything. Ah, here's Dietter back."

Dietter entered the office with a truly large stack of papers. "These are our standard forms for marriages, plus the extra forms for a multiple marriage. You all should sign in the indicated places after reading."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at the thick sheaf of forms. "Um… they're all in German, Minister."

"Of course, oh, I see, you don't read German?"

"Erm, I'm afraid not," Hermione answered, abashed.

"Oh give them here, Hermione," Luna said. "I can translate for you." She giggled as she first read them to herself. Something evidently struck her as funny, for she shortly broke out in uncontrolled laughter. "Really, Minister, do you truly need to know how often we've had pre-marital sex? And this clause about a threesome… really! The state wants to know if we enjoy that? And this other clause about what positions we enjoy? Not to mention how…how… ha ha, how long h-he whoo-hoo har har…" Tears were rolling down her face at this. "How long he can k-keep it up?" She was bent over in laughter at this point.

Harry and Hermione blushed deep red at this.

"Well, yes," the Minister replied stiffly, clearly baffled why this should be cause for laughter. "After all, we don't want couples… err multiple marriage partners to… well**,** you know… feel constrained. We want happy and contented marriages. After all, once you marry under Liechtenstein Wizarding Law there is no such thing as divorce**,** as there is in Muggle society. It is binding in its truest sense. Death of a partner is the only out."

Harry blinked at that. Well, he didn't really have any problem with that, although it was a bit daunting seeing all the paperwork.

Hermione took it in stride and after Luna translated the significant parts, they all signed. Mind, that took almost an hour, there were so many forms.

The Minister then read the vows and they repeated them, promising to love cherish and share their burdens through sickness and health until death. After the rings had been exchanged, he intoned, "I now pronounce you man and wives. You may kiss the brides, Mr. Potter."

Harry needed no further urging, taking each new wife in a lusty, knee weakening, kiss.

"Now, Mr. and Mrs. Potters, the last bit of business that has to be done. We will publish the marriage locally and it will be official."

Harry wasn't really sure he wanted this to be widely known, but agreed in the end. After all, what could Kingsley do now? They would be beyond his reach in any case, although he remembered France. "Umm, Minister, I think you should be aware that Minister Shacklebolt tried to kidnap me in France recently. He may try to interfere here as well."

"Too late for that, my boy, the paperwork is magical and can't be tampered with. In any case it's now filed and he'd be hard pressed to find it."

'_Ah bureaucracy,__**'**_ Harry thought, **'**_truly an art form.__**'**_

They thanked the Minister and Dietter**,** and apparated back to the Potter Chalet.

Many hours of intense lovemaking later, they broke for dinner before resuming their mutual ministrations.

Days later they took the portkey back to Potter Manor amidst an uproar in the Daily Prophet. Shacklebolt had been arrested for malfeasance and the ministry was in turmoil.

………….


End file.
